Wash Away
by Manigault
Summary: GSR on the rocks. Grissom makes a lame comment and Sara reacts. Epilogue added.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Wash Away

Author: Manigault

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I simply enjoy messing with the characters.

Note: Based own my own disillusionment with WP's comments in TV guide, USA Today and ET, this is my way of handling the let down and venting my frustrations in a more creative context. Although, THAT episode has aired and it fell flat, I'm still venting WP's comments.

Spoilers: Somewhat, I started writing this based on spoilers from Pirates of the Third Reich and changed little since.

Summary: Grissom screws up. Sara gets her life together.

GSR gradually, because despite my frustration, I do love the GSR.

January, 2006

Thursday

"I don't know what I feel when I'm with her." Gil Grissom admitted to Catherine Willows who had pressed him for an answer to the rumors concerning himself and Lady Heather. "She knows me like nobody else ever has, and sometimes, I think she is my intellectual equal. I find her fascinating."

Sara felt her heart fall to her toes and shatter into a million pieces. She stood outside of his office, the door cracked partway open where she had turned the knob only a few minutes before. She could not see his face, but she pictured his tortured expression as he confessed his feelings to Catherine. She did not wait to hear Catherine's response, and quickly let go of the door knob and walked away from his office, away from the man who had crushed her spirit for the last time.

January, 2006

Monday

"Are you going to answer that?" Sofia asked, nodding to the cellphone that rang for the fifth time in an hour. She did not try hide the annoyed expression as she watched Sara ignore the continual ringing.

Sara bagged another piece of evidence. "No." She said at last as she continued working with an intense focus, determined on closing out every thought, every emotion. She was building her wall with steel and concrete and this time was not including a gate. She refused to allow herself to wonder why Grissom was persistently calling her while she was on a case. She refused to think of Grissom at all. At least that is what she kept telling herself, again and again, as thoughts of him crept into her mind and she relived that previous Thursday.

After hearing his confession to Catherine she had grabbed her bag from her locker, left her case report with Nick to give Grissom, and left for the day. She turned her phone off and drove her Denali west, away from Vegas. She was not sure where she going and soon realized that it did not even matter. Once again, she found herself not having to answer to anyone. She was off for the next three days and had planned to use them to help Grissom recuperate after his emotional experience on this last case, the weird ass case involving that dominatrix. She had heard the rumors concerning Lady Heather, but had not believed them for one minute. Now she knew she had been wrong, and now there would be no more Grissom swinging by her apartment after shift. She glanced at her keychain with a frown. There would also be no more visits to his townhome, where she had practically lived for the last four months. Mentally, she calculated all of her clothes and other objects that had been left in his home.

Pulling into a gas station, she felt her pager vibrate and glanced down at the name that flashed on the small screen. With a grimace she flung the pager across the seat and refused to ask herself if she was doing the right thing. Maybe she should have confronted him. She should have gone to his townhouse and waited for him to come home where they could sit like two adults who had been seeing each other for the last ten months. Instead, she watched the numbers fly past as the gas flowed into her cars tank. Grissom had been acting funny lately. Ever since that leather bitch had become a central figure in Grissoms last case, he had not been himself. He closed her off and would not talk about what was bothering him. Over the past ten months they had rebuilt a solid friendship that began with a simple breakfast and had evolved into an intimate relationship that was everything she had ever dreamed it would be. She had not thought that Grissom was missing anything physically or intellectually. She had felt complete and had assumed he did as well even if they had never discussed their future.

Frowning, Sara realized that they had not made love in over a week, when prior to this case they had been inseparable when away from the lab. Although they slept in the same bed, he would roll away from her, presenting his back. With an inner shudder, Sara clearly saw that he had been pulling away from her since Heather had entered the picture. Only once had they had sex in that time and it was when he had woken her from a sound sleep and they had the roughest, most intense sex of their relationship. Later, he had confessed that he had stopped Heather from killing a man. In that instant, she realized he had been using her to forget a nightmare, using her to absolve some unresolved feelings about that bitch. She did not categorize that meeting of bodies as making love. It had left her feeling physically satisfied, but strangely alone. He had ignored her for the next two days and she had returned to her own apartment without a comment from him.

"Sara?" Hearing his voice cut through the thoughts that she had been keeping at bay, Sara dropped the tweezers she had been using to pry small fibers from the corner of the floor and the wall. She heard the anger in his voice, the question. Without glancing back at him, she retrieved the tweezers and attacked the fiber once again. "Sara, I need you to meet me outside."

Aware of their audience, Sara was surprised that Grissom would risk any exposure by coming here and demanding her attention. She glanced over at Sofia who watched Grissoms retreating back with a curious expresson.

Without a word, Sara followed him outside of the crime scene and walked over to where he stood beside his Denali. Sara glared at him as she approached. The sadness of the last few days had been replaced by levels of anger that were not foreign to her. She stopped in front of Grissom and raised her eyebrows in a questioning manner.

"Where were you this weekend? Why haven't you been answering your phone or returning my calls?" Grissom asked. He was so perplexed with her behavior that he did not know if he should be angry or scared.

"I had some thinking to do." Sara said to him as she watched the emotions dance across his face. "I made a decision, Grissom."

"A decision." Grissom repeated her statement as if it she were speaking some language that he had no clue how to decipher.

"I'm releasing you from our-." Sara paused, and rephrased her thoughts. "I'm letting you go, Grissom. You can be with someone who is more your intellectual equal."

Understanding flashed across his face. "Catherine told you what I said?" She heard the anger in his voice.

"No, I was bringing you my case report and overheard you talking to Catherine." Sara felt the sadness return and wondered how healthy it was to bounce between sadness, anger and acceptance, sometimes within minutes of each other. "That's all I heard." She shook her head with spent emotion. "When you told me that I was your soulmate, you know I believed you?"

Turning her back to him she added another layer of steel. "I have a case to solve. I don't think we should speak about this for a while." She felt his eyes boring through the wall and clenced her jaw. "I plan to go by your place and get my things sometime soon. I would appreciate it if you were not there."

She did not hear Grissoms' reply or if he did reply because the gate was closed and she was focused back inside her shell.

January, 2006

Tuesday

"You got a minute, Catherine?" Sara asked the older woman as they drove to a crime scene.

"Sure, what's on your mind?" Catherine glanced over at Sara, who was gripping the steering wheel like it was going to fall off. "I heard what Grissom said to you about Lady Heather."

"You what?" Catherine's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, I see." She swiveled around in her seat to study Sara. "Are you okay with it? I mean, you have been over Gil for years now, haven't you?"

Her lips curled into a thin smile and she slightly nodded her head. What Catherine did not know, she did not have to know. It was a relief, however, that Grissom had not shared their relationship with Catherine as he seemed to share his other most personal feelings. All the same, she had to be honest with Catherine. "I will always have strong feelings for Grissom, but I only wish for him to be happy." She took deep breath and risked a look at Catherine. "Do you think he would be happy with her?"

Catherine measured her words carefully, not sure if Sara could handle what she was going to say and then deciding that she was one of the strongest women that she knew. "I think so, Sara."

"Okay." Sara said with a calmness she did not feel, and, as the tears clouded her eyes, she pushed them back. "Then tell me about the case." With that, their conversation was over and it was the last time she brought it up with Catherine or anyone.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Wash Away

Disclaimer: Same as prior chapter.

Note: Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. It is extremely encouraging.

Chapter Two

February, 2006

Sara felt queasy. She had never felt sick at a crime scene. Not like this. She pressed the back of her hand on her mouth and willed her stomach to comply with her mind. She was not going to be sick at a crime scene. She was not. Sweat beaded her brows as she took the last photograph and excused herself to step outside and into the crisp night. Nick watched her go before turning back to process the evidence.

The ill feelings subsided as she leaned her back against the wall of the house and stared up at the stars. The last month had been a trial for her, but she had kept a firm upper lip and pressed on. Grissom had not pursued her, a fact which left her with mixed feelings. There was part of her that wanted him to act like the last ten months meant more to him than physical release. Another part of her was relieved that he was not making her life more confusing than it had already become. She missed him. She missed feeling his strong arms wrapped around her while she slept. She missed feeling him pressed against her long frame, and the whisper of his soft breath in her ear. She would simply have to work harder on not thinking about him.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed away from the wall and returned to help Nick with the crime scene.

February, 2006

"It's not possible," Sara jumped off of the exam room table and shook her head. "I can't be pregnant. I've been on birth control for the past year."

Dr. Elena Wallace stared at her with a sympathetic smile and said with a gentle, yet firm tone she well recognized. "I know it is a shock to you, Sara, but you are pregnant. You of all people should know that birth control is not absolute."

Sara nodded. Yes, she knew that, but it still could not be happening. "How far along?" Mentally she was calculating her last period and was failing to do the simple mathmatics.

"Seven weeks, from the dates you gave me of your last cycle." Dr. Wallace rubbed Saras' upper arm with compassion. "You should schedule an appointment to come back in three weeks. In the meantime you should take a multi vitamin."

"Okay." Sara could not focus her thoughts. It was all she had been able to say in response to Dr. Wallace, and all she had been able to process through her mind since she left the doctors office in a daze.

She entered her apartment and went straight to her bedroom where she pulled off all of her clothes and stared at herself in her full length mirror, turning around in circles as she studied her flat stomach. She could not picture a tiny part of herself and Grissom growing inside of this body. She froze, one hand pressed above the soft line of hair over the spot she knew her uterus was located. A crack appeared in the wall she had been building and she could not help wonder if she had not overheard Grissoms' confession to Catherine would she be standing in his townhouse staring at her body? Would he have been standing behind her, his big hands wrapping around her waist to caress the smooth skin and wonder at the miracle of the life that was going to transform her figure?

In a split second, an impulse made her do something her rational brain would not have allowed. She picked up the phone and pushed one number that would connect her to the man she craved.

"Grissom." The voice on the other end of the phone shook her to the core. She was overcome with that rational side of herself that realized she was making a mistake and was about to slam the phone back down when his next words halted her action.

"Sara? What is it?" Grissoms' voice was crisp and distant.

She wondered for the first time if he was alone.

"I have a question for you, Grissom." Sara kept her voice calm. "If we had stayed together, what direction did you see our lives taking? Did you picture us as a family? With children?"

She could picture his face on the other end of the phone as he pondered her words and probably wondered why she was asking him these questions. They had never spoken so far into the future when they were together, content to simply enjoy being together.

"No, Sara." Grissom said with a firmness that left her with no doubt. "I never pictured us with kids. I've never wanted kids. Why?"

"No reason." Sara hesitated, when she wanted nothing more than to slam the phone down, but she had to ask. "How are you?"

"Fine." Grissom did not elaborate which was nothing new to her, and so she ended the conversation and returned the phone to its cradle. She ran a hand over her abdomen and resolved to wash away the past.

Moving over to her wall calender, she ran an index finger along the dates. Before leaving the doctors office she had asked if they could estimate an exact date of conception and earned a confused look from Dr. Wallace. Placing her hand on the last time she and Grissom had been intimate, she sighed with relief. She had been fearful that the last time they had been together would be the second when this baby had been conceived. If the calculations were correct, then it had been one of the times they made love in the week before that wacko case began. She felt better knowing that this baby had been produced when Grissom was only thinking of one woman, herself. A small victory in a chaotic world where a dominatrix could be thought to be the equal of a brillant entomologist and criminalist.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Wash Away Part Three

Disclaimer: See prior chapters.

Note: If you like LH, then I'm giving caution because I don't...and it shows.

March, 2006

"Hey friend, what's going on with you?" Warrick asked as he leaned on the layout counter and bumped her gently with his elbow.

Sara pushed a strand of thickening hair behind her ear and forced a smile in his direction before bending back over the layout table and the evidence they had collected that day. "This perp was smart, but not as smart as us." She said in an attempt to change the subject. For the past two months she had managed to avoid all personal talk with everyone at the lab and still was able to keep her secret.

Feeling the small bulge in her bully press against the counter, she knew that she could not keep this secret much longer and would soon have to make a plan of action.

Watching her reaction, Warrick refused to take the bait. "You haven't been yourself for the past few months, Sara, talk to me." He waited for a response, anything that told him she was okay. Like everyone else in the lab he had watched her relationship with Grissom implode and like everyone else wondered exactly what had happened between them. He knew that after the case involving Lady Heather neither one of them had been the same. Rumors surrounding his relationship with the dominatrix abounded, but he had not bought any of them. Surely, Sara had not believed the rumors?

Drawing in a deep breath, he decided to lay it on the line and ask her for the truth. "You haven't been the same since that weird ass case involving the dominatrix." He saw Sara's back tense as she ground her teeth. He should have stopped. He should have, but he found himself pressing forward. "Sara, you can't believe that Griss would be interested in that bitch, could you? The man is too intelligent for that kind of bullshit."

Sara turned her head slowly, but her eyes were drawn to the doorway. "I don't know, Warrick, why don't you ask him how he could be interested in woman who is all about submission?"

Warrick followed the direction of her gaze and found himself in an eye lock with Grissom. As if he had not dug the hole deep enough, he plowed deeper. "Good. You two really need to talk. If it gets any colder in this place, Doc Robbins can store the bodies in the hallway." Squaring his shoulders he brushed past Grissom, who was now staring at Sara as if he had not seen her in years.

Thinking he would turn tail and run, Sara returned her attention to the evidence on the layout table. She thought that she had been keeping up a good front with everyone. She performed her cases with a new intensity and focus that she had not thought possible given that every time she turned around she had to endure another rumor.

"Hi there," Grissom said in a low growl, as he walked to the opposite side of the layout table and stood facing her with silent trepidation. "I haven't see you in awhile."

"I'm here everyday." Sara replied, the words echoing in her mind from a similar response to that same sentiment years ago. She picked up a photo and narrowed her eyes on something in the background.

"I miss you." Grissom said softly as his eyes darted to the doorway and then back to her face. He watched her lower the photo and let her eyes travel up to his.

"That's too bad, Grissom, because I don't miss you."

She watched him flinch and instantly regretted the harshness of her words. Then she thought of his words that day to Catherine and wondered if she could pretend that he did not have such strong emotions for another woman. Not just another woman, she reminded herself, but one with a lifestyle that was completely foreign to everything she believed in. A woman who could use sex as a weapon. A woman who could tie a man to a car and whip him to shreds.

Instead of storming from the room in anger or defeat, Grissom appeared to be in a fighting mood. "I don't know what your problem is, Sara. Everything was fine between us and then you jumped to conclusions over a simple comment that I made to Catherine."

Sara's eyes narrowed in anger. "I know that you didn't just say what I thought you said, Grissom." She steadied her emotions as she heard her own voice rising higher. "I don't think we should talk about this here."

She saw a light of hope flicker in his eyes. "Then we can talk about this over breakfast?"

"No." Sara gripped the photo in her hand. "I need to take these to Archie."

"It can wait." Grissom felt his frustration build. The anger that was moving him scared him on some level he had always feared would affect him if Sara told him it was over. He thought that he had done decently over the past few months, giving her space, but hearing Warrick address Sara and knowing that the lab was all talking about their estrangement was too much for him. He had thought if he gave her some time they would revert to their friendly pattern and eventually the incident she had overheard would fade into the past. At least that is what he had convinced himself of as he lay in bed alone or chopped vegetables and made an omelete just like Sara liked it before realizing she would not be there to eat it. "We need to talk."

"You don't have strong feelings for Lady Heather?" Sara asked. She watched the emotions flicker over his face and his eyes lower to the table.

"It's not like you think, Sara. My feelings for Heather and my feelings for you are two very different things. One has nothing to do with the other." Grissom looked up at her as a red flush crept up Sara's neck in a manner that he knew indicated she was pissed.

"I get it." Sara knew her voice was carrying, but she did not care. She could blame it own hormones, but she knew that it was weeks of emotions warring inside. "I'm good enough to screw and keep behind the scenes, while Lady Heather is the classy broad you can discuss with Brass and Catherine. You can brood over her in the lab, and hug her in the eyes of anyone, not once, but several times. Why don't you go to her, Grissom? Why are you telling me you miss me when you can run to the woman that is your intellectual equal?"

"Heather is in Europe." Grissom said without thinking. He quickly realized his mistake when Sara smiled tightly. "It wouldn't matter if she wasn't, Sara. I miss you, not her."

"You miss the sex." Sara stated with a flatness that broke his heart. "Which surprises me considering I don't use submissive behavior and neither do you when we are in bed or out of bed for that matter." She hesitated and then shot the arrow. "Except the last time. You were in control then, weren't you?" Without waiting for his reply she spun on her heels to leave and found they had an audience.

Catherine stood with her mouth hanging open. Brass looked grim and Warrick, stunned. She pushed past them all and fled the building, determined that it was time for her to think about her baby. She ignored the looks of several lab techs as she hurried past them, one thought on her mind. Refuge.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Wash Away Part Four

Note: A short chapter, next one will be soon. I'm overwhelmed by the reviews. Thanks to each and every one of you!

March, 2006

Sara watched as the last box was packed safely into the moving van.

Once she decided to concentrate on her future, a plan had formulated in her mind. She faxed a six month leave of absence to Sheriff Atwater, called a moving truck, and began the tedious ordeal of packing. With each book she removed from a shelf and placed into a box, she felt her resolve strengthening. All of the years of overtime, no vacations, wise investments and she had a tidy little nest egg that she planned to use in her quest for some peace of mind.

No one from the lab had tried to call her or come by her apartment. Looking at the clock, she knew it was a matter of time before Nick, Warrick, or Greg showed up demanding an explanation or encouraging her to talk. She knew that she would have to tell them that she would be gone for at least six months, if not longer. Packing another book she paused as the title caught her eye. "Entomology for the beginner." Sara read aloud before placing the text book in the box. She remembered buying that book ten years ago after she had met Gil Grissom at the seminar where he was lecturing on the subject. She had read the book from cover to cover so many times she had memorized each paragraph.

She pulled the book back out of the box and walked over to the kitchen counter where she placed it gently on the smooth surface. In similar moves she added three more entomology titles to the pile and held a fifth text in her unsteady hands. This particular book was a gift from Grissom. She placed it in the box and continued to pack the rest of her belongings when the doorbell rang.

"Nick, Warrick." Sara stepped back to allow the two men entry. She waited for the exclamations as they saw the boxes and put the evidence together.

"You can't leave because of this, Sar." Nick insisted. His chest clenched tight with the realization that his friend of the past six years was moving away from them. "I'm sorry that I didn't come see you two months ago or even a month ago. Shit." He stood there and shook his head in dismay. He knew that she had had a thing for Grissom, that they had a thing for each other, but who would have ever thought they would act on it?

Taking pity on him, Sara leaned forward and gave him a brief hug. "It's okay, Nick. I've been inaccessible lately." She turned to Warrick. "I hope that I haven't made it very difficult for Grissom at the lab. I didn't intend to break the news in that way."

Warrick folded his arms over his chest. "I could care less what Grissom thinks right about now." He let his gaze sweep over Sara from head to toe. She was wearing a tight blue t-shirt and low riding jeans. "I think that we have all been blind for awhile."

Noticing his gaze pause on her abdomen, she caught his eyes and silently pleaded with him. "I can manage, Warrick. I have plans to take a long vacation on the West Coast. I've missed the beach." The fact was that she owned a small cottage on a beach, inheritated from a great aunt on her dads side. Although she had never visited the place in person, she had seen photos of it and had hired a company to keep it in shape over the past four years.

Warrick nodded and unfolded his arms. "Will you come back here?" He motioned to the boxes of books. "When you find what you are looking for?"

"I don't know. I won't return to this apartment, I do know that much." said Sara, and then added with a chuckle. "I thought Greg would be with you." She made a show of searching behind their backs in a lighthearted attempt to ease the tension.

"He was heartbroken," Nick replied. "He is going to be crushed when he knows that you have moved."

"Give him a hug for me Nick." Sara teased, trying her best to keep up a brave front. "At least tell him I said bye."

"You will email and call, right Sara?" Nick asked with geniune concern.

"Of course," Sara said. "That is, if you both help me finish packing."

For the next five hours they had packed up the rest of Sara's belongings and ordered two large vegetarian pizzas. "You have any beer?" Nick asked as he picked up his second slice of pizza.

"In the fridge." Sara responded. When he offered her one, she shook her head and said. "I would like for you and Warrick to take those when you leave. I don't want to travel with food or beverages." She planned to fly out to California on the first flight after the movers picked up her stuff. Sara felt a tear well up in her eyes as she studied these two men who had become as close to her as brothers. "I appreciate you guys so much."

"This is not goodbye, Sara." Warrick said with a frown. "You know that I have a vacation coming up in a few months. I'm sure Tina would love a little vacation to the beach."

"I'll think about it, Warrick. Thanks."

They all hugged again and Sara wondered if she would have the courage to call either of them.

That was an hour ago, and now Sara watched as the last box was placed carefully into the moving van.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Wash Away

July, 2006

Vegas

"She says that she is doing fine. Soaking up the sun and living life." Nick improvised, aware that Grissom was listening to everything that he said concerning Sara. He _had _received an email from her, but she had only told him that she was fine before asking him a series of questions about how he was doing and how everything and everyone was in Vegas.

He told her about his latest cases, how Greg and the lab techs were doing, and how Warrick and Tina were buying a house. He avoided any and all mention of Grissom even though he wondered if she was indirectly asking about him.

Warrick was not so evasive. He had spoken to her on the phone and told her in laymans terms that Grissom was not doing so well. His team gave him the silent treatment for the first several weeks and only Catherine and Brass were on friendly terms with him now. He did stress that they were both still mad at him, but he had been their friend for fifteen years and they could not turn their backs on him.

He asked about the baby. He asked her if she wanted him to fly out to visit her in a few weeks. She had turned him down with a soft thank you.

Now Warrick watched as Grissoms' shoulders tensed and his hand froze in the air, hovering between the sugar bowl and the cup of coffee. He was listening intently. For the past few months he had not asked any of them where Sara was or if they had heard from her. Warrick was actually beginning to feel for the man. He knew from Catherine that Grissom had not contacted Lady Heather even though she was back in town for the trial. According to Catherine, he had no desire to contact her, and planned to keep his own testimony as short and to the point as possible. His only desire was Sara.

Warrick shot a warning look towards Nick, which caused the younger man to shrug his shoulders and redirect his gaze in Grissom's direction. He did feel for his boss. He also felt that he owed Grissom for everything he had done for him over the years, including calming him when he was buried alive and saving his life in the process.

"Sara didn't really say any of that." Nick admitted with a sigh, before he added, "She is doing okay, I did mean that. The thing is she asked a dozen questions about everyone here at the lab and didn't say much about what she has been doing."

Warrick quickly jumped into the conversation. "I spoke with her last night and she told me the same thing. She misses everyone." He exchanged a look with Nick, before turning to Catherine and giving her a smile. "She's also writing a fiction crime book. You know how busy that lady has to stay. She already has a publisher that is interested."

Greg was excited by the news, and wanted to know why Sara had not called him to tell him any of this.

"We were pretty close for awhile there you know?"

"She told me that she plans to call you soon, Greg." Nick spoke up from his position on the sofa. "She misses you, but it is too hard for her to talk to certain people without being emotional. You are one of those people."

That much was true. Sara had told him that she did miss Greg, but the truth was she told him that could not talk to the energetic young man yet, not when he would most likely give her a hard time for leaving and beg her to return.

"She could at least email me." Greg pouted. "If you give me her email then maybe I could send her a brief note?"

"I'll ask her to email you, Greg." Nick assured him.

"When is she coming home?"

Grissom's sudden question startled everyone and they exchanged furtive looks. Warrick was the first one to speak.

"I don't think she has any plans to return, Gris."

They watched him lower the spoon with the sugar on it and pick up the mug. He poured the liquid into the sink and placed the mug carefully on the counter after rinsing it out. They thought he would leave the break room without speaking to them, but then he walked over to the chair where Warrick was sitting.

"I would like her phone number." Grissom said with soft determination. He waited for Warrick to reply and when it was obvious that the younger man was at a loss for words, he added. "I need that number, Warrick."

Grissom watched as Warrick slowly pulled a pen from his pocket and wrote a number on a napkin before handing it to the anxious man.

"Don't hurt her again, Grissom."

This time Grissom did not respond, but he smiled weakly, nodded at Warrick, and left the room.

Grissom was stumped. He knew that he had screwed up beyond explanation. Why he had felt there was a connection between himself and Heather was something he had racked his brain for an answer. He relived all of the moments with Sara, all of the banter they had exchanged, the smiles, the looks. He could smell her in the pillow that she had slept on that last night in his home, in his bed. The months had gone by and he had not washed that pillowcase. Her smell had long faded, but a childish impulse kept him from washing away the remnant of her essence.

Why had Sara not fought for him? Why had she given up on him so easily when he had made a stupid comment made after an emotional case. He had not been thinkng straight. He would not deny his fascination with Heather on a carnal level and even on a level of trying to understand why a woman like her did the things she did, but he had confused it with something else. The confusion had fled with Sara. All the pieces of the puzzle had fallen into place. Only now, he had no clue what to do about this new realization.

"Hey there, Gil." Catherine said, as she walked into his office and eased herself into the chair opposite him. "We haven't talked about any of this. I've given you your space."

"And, I appreciate that." Grissom kept his eyes on the napkin that Warrick had given him. "Don't ruin it by lecturing me now."

"No lectures." Catherine responded with a tight smile. "I've had some time to think about everything that you have said to me about Lady Heather," she paused and then added. " And, I've thought about everything that I said to Sara."

She waited as Grissoms chin snapped up and his eyes narrowed on her face. She continued without missing a beat. "I realized that Heather is your intellectual equal," She lifted her hands with a dramatic flair. "You are both idiots." With another smile, she added. "Although, considering what I told her then I suppose that I'm in that category as well."

"What did you say to Sara?" Grissom asked, his alarm registering in his eyes and posture.

"She asked me if I thought you could be happy with Heather and I told her that I thought that you could. I had no idea." Catherine said with an honesty that he knew to be the truth. "If I had known that you and Sara were intimately involved, then I never would have said that to her, Gil. I hope you can forgive me."

She waited for his anger, but he only turned back to stare at the phone number on the paper, his shoulders slumping.

"I'm not angry with you Catherine." Grissom finally said with a heavy sadness in his voice. "I'm the one that was not thinking straight."

He reached into a drawer and pulled out a picture that he handed across the desk to Catherine.

"That is who makes me happy. I would say that Sara is my equal in every way, but the truth is she is so much better than me."

Catherine took the picture and stared at two smiling faces as they coasted down a steep hill on some roller coaster that was foreign to her mental file. She had never seen either Gil, or Sara for that matter, look so happy, like they were having the time of their lives.

"Could you imagine Heather riding a roller coaster and letting herself go in the moment of complete loss of control? And that isn't just with the roller coaster." Grissom added almost to himself.

"TMI, Gil." Catherine said as she handed the picture back to him. "You both look very happy. When was that taken?"

"The month before I made that comment and Sara overheard." Grissom said. He picked the picture up and stared at the image as he recalled that evening. They rode that rollercoaster four times, before retiring to a suite he had rented for the weekend. They drank champagne, made love more times than he could remember, and talked for hours about anything and nothing. It had been perfect. Then their pagers had gone off and nothing had been the same.

"I don't know if you can fix this, Gil, but you can try." Catherine told him with a hint of sadness in her voice. She pointed to the piece of paper as she stood. "If you need for me to do anything, then let me know."

After she left, Grissom picked up his cellphone and began to dial, hoping that he was making the right decision.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Wash Away Part Six

July, 06

Sara stepped back and surveyed the job she had done with the spare room. She had decided on a pale teal color so that she could paint soft white clouds, various birds, and anything else she decided on at a later time. She rubbed her belly and felt the baby push back at her hand. With a smile, she patted the protruding hand, foot, whatever part was pressing against her belly and said in a soothing tone.

"Not much longer."

In fact, she was growing anxious with the waiting game. She felt as big as a house. The doctor had even told her to watch what she ate, and she had protested that she only ate the healthy items he had suggested on her first visit. His skeptical look made her so angry she had phoned her own doctor back in Vegas to ask her for advice.

"Have you had an ultrasound lately, Sara?" Dr. Wallace had asked in concern, adding. "And have they done bloodwork?"

The questions made Sara antsy and she found herself wondering if she should have stayed in Vegas, at least until the baby was born.

"They only did one ultrasound, and that was at week twenty. They couldn't tell me the gender, but said that everything appeared to be okay."

Sara bit her lip, never had she felt so inept as she did when it came to preparing to be a parent and take responsibility for another life. To some extent, she admitted to herself that she had been, to some degree, still in denial. She painted the room, ordered a crib and other items online, but she had allowed the doctors to provide all of her information.

"I've been so busy writing this crime novel that I haven't been reading up on what I should be expecting." Sara felt the quilt creep into her voice and shuddered.

She vowed to go to the store and buy every pregnancy book she could find and she did that as soon as she finished her conversation with Dr. Wallace.

One of the things she did not want to do was be one of those patients who thought that they knew more than the doctor, but several chapters in, and Sara began to have more and more questions and doubts. She was twenty eight weeks and wondered if she should change OBGyns at this point. She wondered if another doctor would pick up her case after so long, and then thought why would they refuse?

She was reaching to pick up the phone when a shrill ring cut through her thoughts and she jumped back. She stared at the phone like it had grown tentacles before laughing at herself and reaching out to pick it up. It was probably Warrick, or Nick. They were the only ones who ever called her, Warrick more so since he had guessed her condition.

"Sidle." She stated, picking up the receiver with a chuckle in her voice.

She had not bothered to read the caller ID, and instantly regretted the decision when she heard the silence on the other end of the line. It was one of those things that you know instinctively, a small charge of electricity that ran along the wire and miles to ignite in her ear and explode in her brain.

"Grissom." Sara said when she could hear her own voice. "Who gave you this number? Warrick or Nick?"

"Does it matter?" Grissom sighed on the other end of the phone. "I'm sorry, Sara, that didn't come out right. It's good to hear your voice again."

"Why are you calling me, Grissom? Did you get the email that I was doing fine without you, pulling my life into some semblance of order that didn't revolve around you and so you had to inject yourself into my world?"

Grissom rubbed his beard in a restless manner. "When did you start despising me, Sara?"

She heard the hurt in his voice and resisted the urge to reach out over the line and reassure him. "I suppose it's easier to stay angry with you, Grissom, than accept the inevitable and pretend I'm okay with your feelings."

There was silence for several minutes when Sara felt a pain so sharp in her left side she could not help but gasp.

"What's wrong? Sara?" Grissom gripped the phone in his white knuckles and stood up from his office chair, his gaze locked on the picture of Sara on the roller coaster.

"Nothing, Grissom, it's nothing." The pain had subsided, but Sara felt uncomfortable. "I ran into something and it hurt for a minute."

She refused to tell him the truth, she would never trap him into a situation she knew he did not want. "Listen, I would say that I'm glad you called, but I'm busy, so take care. I need to go, now. Bye Grissom."

As another pain ran along her side, she hit the dial tone and redialed, this time 911.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Wash Away Part Seven

July, 06

The hospital was only a ten minute drive by ambulance, but Sara felt as though it took an hour. She rubbed her belly and felt a new fear for this unborn child that she realized with sudden clarity she wanted. The feeling was odd, but for the past few months she had only been going through the motions, not truly connecting with the person, only the concept.

Now as the pain intensified so did her determination that she would learn to know the person that she and Grissom had conceived, not in meaningless throes of passion, but when making love. She loved him, regardless of everything that had transpired. She had tried to turn off her feelings for him, leave him in the past, and although she was still angry with him, and sad, she prayed this child of theirs would live.

Sara lay on an exam table and stared up at the ceiling. The pains had eased, but her mind had not stopped whirling with fear. She waited as an ultrasound technologist, who had identified herself as Kelsey, squirted warm gel on her skin and placed a transducer over the gel. Within seconds an image appeared on a screen and Sara turned her head in an attempt to glimpse an image of her baby.

"Hmmm." Kelsey made the sound as she typed the letter "A" on the screen. Angling her head she turned the transducer and moved it lower on Sara's abdomen where she typed the letter "B" on the screen.

"What are you doing?" Sara strained to make out the images. She thought she saw three arms and gasped.

"This is baby A." Kelsey pointed to the screen and then moved the transducer and used the keyboard to point the arrow at a small face. "This is baby B." She looked at Sara's stunned face. "You didn't know?"

She could only shake her head. Kelsey continued to scan, taking a series of pictures, including heart beats, before pausing the screen and pointing out one of the babies legs and bottom. "Do you want to know what the gender is of Baby A?"

"Sure." Sara replied. The shock had not worn off and her head was starting to pound.

"Well, this is most certainly a boy. Very proud of himself." She printed the image and then moved the transducer back to baby B. "This one is more elusive." She spent another ten minutes trying to get an angle on the baby. "If I had to take a guess I would say another boy, but don't hold me to that." She printed a couple of images of both babies profiles and then handed them to Sara.

"Are they okay?" Sara held the pictures against her chest and asked the question she needed to know.

"The doctor will come in to talk to you, but I wouldn't worry." Kelsey smiled at her and started to leave the room.

"Thank you." Sara said with feeling. "I know that you aren't supposed to say anything, but I appreciate it."

"No problem."

That said, Sara found herself alone in the room staring at the photos of her two babies.

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Vegas, 06

Grissom was holding the phone against his chest when Brass stepped into his office. "You busy, Gil?"

Startled by the intrusion, Grissom shook his head and placed his phone on his desk, before responding. "No." He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say more, but shut it without a word. He raised his eyebrows at Brass.

Swallowing quickly, Brass closed the office door and approached the desk. "The guys are worried about you, Gil. I'm worried about you."

Grissom leaned back in his chair and stared across the desk at his friend. "I appreciate that, Jim, but I'm okay." He found some courage and added what was on his mind. "I'm worried about Sara, though, Jim. Something isn't right with her and I don't know what to do about it."

"You've spoken with her?" Brass asked with an incredulous voice.

"I called her a few minutes ago." Grissom glanced over at a clock and his lips tightened. "Or maybe it was an hour ago." He shrugged, then added. "There was something wrong, she was in pain, told me she ran into a table, and then practically hung up on me."

Brass took a deep breath and leaned towards him. "This may come as a shocker to you, Gil, but Sara moved far away and didn't give you her number because she didn't want to talk to you. She was probably trying to get off of the phone as quickly as she could."

If he could have ducked the glare that Grissom sent his way, he would have, but instead he took it like a man. "I worry about Sara too, Gil. I geniunely liked the lady. She was class A. I haven't said anything before, but..."

"I ruined everything." said Grissom, filling in the blank.

"You said it. Not me." Brass wiped his brow and sent Gil an apologetic look. "For what it's worth, I'm disappointed that Sara thought she had to run away. I think that she should have stayed here and given another old man a chance." He did duck this time. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding, Gil. Sara only had eyes for you."

"I'm seriously worried about her, Jim. Do you think that you could call her and see how she is? She will talk to you."

"Why don't you ask Warrick, or Nick?" Brass hedged.

"Because Warrick and Nick will not tell me what she says." Grissom said as if he had given this much thought.

"What about Catherine?" Brass continued to hedge.

"I don't want Catherine interfering anymore where Sara is concerned." Grissom hit his desk in frustration. "Please, Jim."

"Hand me the number." Brass took the number from Grissom and dialed it into his cellphone. After ten rings, he looked over at Grissom. "Sara isn't answering. I'll try again later. You want to grab some breakfast while we are waiting?"

"I would like for you to trace that number for me." said Grissom.

Brass laughed, and then frowned when he realized his friend was serious. "No way." He held up his hands, palms outward, and grimaced. "I can't betray a trust like that Gil. If she wanted you to know where she lived then she would tell you."

Grissom squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his forehead. "I have to give up on her, I understand that, Jim, but I don't why we can't still be friends."

"You don't see it?" Brass stood up and walked to the door. "Let's have breakfast and I'll try to explain it to you."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Wash Away Part Eight

Early July, 06

Note: Thanks again to everyone who is reading this and also those who are reviewing. I do appreciate it. Also, thanks to L84AD8WMI for your advice on twins. It is very helpful.

Entering her small beach side home, Sara eased herself onto her sofa and leaned back on the cushions. She slid her shoes off before propping her legs on the coffee table. Placing both hands on her belly, she marveled at the fact that she had left her home thinking there was one baby and returned knowing there were two. One boy, possibly two boys or one boy and a girl?

Her cellphone rang, and she stared at the offending object. Picking it up, she stared at the name and smiled warmly as she answered.

"Hi, Brass."

"Hey kiddo, I almost dropped the phone when you actually answered." Brass pushed his toast away and looked across the table at Grissom who was listening intently. "I've missed you, kiddo, how are you?"

"First, Grissom, now you. I miss you all too, Brass." Sara admitted as she closed her eyes.

She _was_ okay after her doctor had checked her out throughly; ultrasounds, blood work. He had even apologized after admitting that twins could add more weight to her small frame. She would have laughed, but she did not find him at all amusing. She had questioned him about how they had missed it on the first ultrasound. Surely, they would have seen both babies? She was informed rather briskly that sometimes one twin lies behind the other and the sonographer can miss it. She decided at the moment to call Dr. Wallace and request her opinion.

"I'm fine." She said after several minutes of silence had elapsed. "What have you been up to lately? Keeping Vegas safe for the criminals?"

Brass chuckled. "You said you spoke with Grissom? How did that go?" He winced at the dagger Grissom shot his way. His expression altered again as Sara spoke.

"I was mad at first. I suppose either Warrick or Nick have been giving away my number? Is that how you got it?" Sara hesitated,and then her eyes snapped open. "Grissom gave you my number. Is he sitting there with you?"

"He's worried about you." Brass felt like crap. This was the first time he had spoken with Sara in months and, now, he was afraid that she would not trust him anymore.

Sara sighed. "It's okay, Jim." She rubbed her belly and wondered if at least one of her babies would have blue eyes. "Tell him that I'm fine and I'm not as mad at him anymore."

"You could tell him that yourself." Brass suggested. He held up a hand as Grissom eagerly reached towards the phone.

"Tell him that I'll call him in a few days."

Sara actually felt good about her decision. Grissom was who he was, even if he had been callous and blind for a short period of time. She could not erase all of the years and let some freak win everything.

"Tell him that I'll talk to him on my terms and when I'm ready."

She heard Brass relay the information and Grissoms eager response.

Exhausted fromt he short exchange she said with sincerity. "Thanks for calling me, Jim, and thanks for caring."

After they said bye, Sara curled up on the sofa for a nap.

Vegas, 06

A week crept by and Grissom wondered if today would be the day that Sara called him. When another week elapsed, he decided she was not serious when she told Brass that she would. So, when the ringing of his cellphone woke him up one afternoon two and half weeks after Brass spoke with Sara, she was the last person he thought would be on the other end of the line.

"Grissom." He growled into the reciever.

"I called at a bad time." The voice on the other end of the line caused his eyes to fly open and he sat up, semi conscious of the sheets sliding off his hips and to the floor as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Sara? No, uhm, no, this is a good time to call me. My alarm was set to go off any second." Grissom glanced at his clock radio and realized that it had gone off sometime in the last hour and he must have shut it off while still asleep.

"Well, I know that I told Brass to tell you that I would call in few days, but, I've been very busy."

Sara's excuse sounded lame, even to her own ears. The truth was she had picked the phone up to call him a dozen times, only to talk herself out of it and convince herself that she would call him the next day. "I've been writing a book." Sara told him while wondering if he cared what she had been doing with her time. "I'm almost finished with it. You know how obsessed I can be when I set my mind to something."

He did know that. It was the reason she had shut him out of her life for so long and was the one making all the calls now. He did not say any of that, however, and instead went with his second thought.

"Warrick told us that you were writing a fiction crime novel." He admitted, and then added. "I'll have to read it. I'm sure that with all your expertise in this field it will be very interesting."

"I'll send you a copy when it is published." Sara said, as she flipped through the manuscript that she was about to send her publisher, who happened to be an old friend of hers from when she lived in San Francisco years ago. She knew that it generally took months to get a book published, but when her friend Alyssa, had read the rough draft Sara mailed to her she had jumped on it and pushed the idea through to her publishing company.

"Autographed?" Grissom asked in a light tone and was rewarded with a soft chuckle from Sara.

"Of course." Sara assured him and then could not stop herself from asking. "Would you like it personalized?"

The silence on the other end of the phone was intense. Sara had not intended to make the comment flirtatious to Grissom, but somehow it had felt like the natural thing to say and it was out of her lips before she could censor her mind. It should have been a simple question, but nothing between the two of them had ever been simple.

"That would be nice, Sara, thank you." Grissom tried to take the flirtation out of the equation, knowing that Sara had not intended for her question to be so layered with ineundo.

He heard the relieved sigh on the other end of the line.

"You've been keeping yourself busy, Grissom?" Small talk. They had never really been good at small talk even when they were in the midst of their relationship. Their conversations usually drifted into deep discussions based on a simple comment. It was with some familiarity and pleasure that this time was no exception.

They spent the next hour discussing his last case and how another child had been the perpetrator of the crime.

"I never get used to those cases."

Grissom heard the sorrow in Sara's voice as she spoke.

"I can't believe how many cases we have investigated that resulted in the child being the killer. What kind of situation can make a child become something so horrible?"

She thought back on her own life. Although she had experienced more than any child should ever have to experience something in her genetic make up had prevented her from taking on the role of abuser. She felt a light flutter and touched the spot. She vowed that she would never harm a hair on her own children.

Grissom must have been thinking along the same lines, because when he spoke, his voice was understanding. "I think that some people are genetically predisposed to violence and if they are subjected to violence, then it increases their odds disapportionately."

The silence that ensued was nervewracking for Grissom. He wondered if he had said something wrong.

"Sara? I didn't bore you to sleep did I?"

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Wash Away Part Nine

Early July, 06

"Sara?"

"No, no. I'm awake." Sara shook herself out of her reverie. "I was just thinking about what you said."

She fiddled with the edge of the pillow she was holding as she asked him on impulse. "Grissom? What if a child isn't exposed to violence, and the child isn't necessarily violent, but he does something like that kid did anyway? If it was your child, would you forgive him?"

Sara had no idea why she was going here with him. It was very dangerous ground.

"It would depend on the circumstances." Grissom cleared his throat. "If the particular child in this case were mine, then I would have no choice but to forgive him. The kid thought he was protecting his little sister. It's sad, really."

"But what if the uncle wasn't abusing the little girl? What if the boy did that to the man anyway?"

"Sara? Where are you going with this?"

"I'm curious. If my son did that for no reason, I would wonder if it were my fault or genetically out of my control." Sara knew that she must sound more than a little crazy to Grissom, but their earlier conversation about the case had brought up so many fears.

"I don't think that you need to worry about it." Grissom rubbed his beard as he tried to think of what was bugging Sara. "If you ever have children."

He almost choked on the thought of Sara having children with some other man, but facts were facts and this was the second time she had brought the subject of children up with him, regardless of the fact that the context was completely different. He added with a sincerity he firmly believed to be the truth. "Then, unless the man has some gene that predisposes him to such behavior, I don't think you have anything to worry about. You are the most sane person I know."

Sara was silent for several minutes. "Thanks, Grissom. I needed to hear that."

Sara's voice did not convey to him that she meant what she said, but he let that go. He had to pick his battles carefully.

"I really need to get some sleep now, Grissom. I'll call you in a few days?" She spoke as a yawn made her words reality.

"Days? Not weeks?" Grissom did not like the pathetic way he was practically pleading for Sara's attention, but he also knew he would continue to grovel for any crumbs she threw his way. He deserved it after his thoughtless comments from months ago.

"Days, Grissom. Nite."

August, 06

"You don't need to come up here, Warrick, I assure you that I'm going to be fine." Sara was on complete bedrest as ordered by her new doctor, an acquaintance of Dr. Wallace's that she had referred Sara to several weeks ago.

Dr. Iris Staten specialized in multiple births, and though she did not normally take new patients so late in the pregnancy, she made an exception for Sara. Iris was a breath of fresh air. They clicked immediately, and once a week Sara had made the trip to her office to find herself leaving with more information than she knew what to do with.

Today, however, Dr. Staten had informed Sara that she would need to be on complete bedrest for the rest of her pregnancy. Upset, Sara had reached out to call the first person to pop into her mind, the only one that knew she was expecting a baby.

"Dr. Staten told me that when you are expecting more than one baby then it is normal to be on bedrest for the last few weeks." Sara spoke with a confidence she did not feel, but she needed to speak these thoughts aloud. Once she had started having contractions after week 34, Iris had insisted she take it easy.

"Whoa, whoa. Did you say multiples?" Warrick asked.

Pulling the laptop over closer to her side, Sara bit her bottom lip thoughtfully. "I didn't tell you that? I thought that I did when we spoke last."

"No." Warrick said, looking around the empty ballistics lab and fighting back a grin. "You must be huge! You have to send me a picture of yourself, Ms. Sidle."

"It's not funny, and I'm bigger than huge. Two boys will do that to you, or so I think." Sara shifted her weight until she could click on the website she had ordered from months before. "I need to buy another crib. Another car seat. Two of everything."

"Two boys. Wow." Warrick pulled a stool up next to him and sat down heavily.

"Well, I don't know if one of them is a boy or girl. They couldn't tell for sure, only that there are two babies and now I'm overwhelmed."

"You'll need help." Warrick registered the enormity of what Sara was going to have to undergo by herself. "You need to let me help. Tina and I can fly out therein a few weeksand take an overdue honeymoon. No arguing. You give me your address and I'll make the arrangements."

"Tina may not want to spend her vacation time helping some stranger with her two babies." Sara said without rancor. "You know, Warrick, you have never even introduced your wife to me."

"Well, yeah, but I've told her all about you and she will be eager to meet you and help out. I'm sure of it." It could also help smooth the latest talk of wanting kids, Warrick thought to himself. Sometimes the quickest cure of wanting a baby was taking care of someone elses for awhile. He knew that he was not ready to be a parent, and it had been a bone of contention between Tina and himself for the last month.

"My place is very small, Rick. You and Tina would have to stay in a motel." Sara looked around the tiny cottage as she spoke. It was the perfect place for one person or even two, but not the ideal spot for raising two kids and entertaining guests.

"That's cool. You know that we can find a room someplace nearby and that way you can still have your privacy." Warrick assured her with a smile.

Sara was not sure is she wanted to rely on anyone, but stubborness would not help her take care of two small lives that depended on her health. So, with much reservations she finally gave Warrick directions and asked him to not laugh at her when he saw her conditon.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Title Wash Away part ten

Note: Thank you again for all of the wonderful reviews. And, to those worried about Sara telling Grissom. Eventually. Eventually. It won't be for several chapters. LOL

Thanks also to Nancy, for all of your insight on twins.

Late August, 06

October 19th. That would be her due date if she were expecting one baby. However, Dr. Staten had prepared Sara for an earlier due date and insisted she not do anything strenous. Pulling the laptop over next to her tremendous body, she decided beginning another book should not be too taxing, except for her mind. The first book was hardly sitting in her publisher friends office when Alyssa had phoned her and urged her to write a second book with the same characters. Sara had refused to sign a contract for subsequent books due to a desire to have no obligations. It was with much reluctance that Alyssa had relented.

Now she began a second book with a wry smile. This one would also evolve around a combination of a multitude of cases she investigated in San Francisco in her first years as a CSI. She released a heavy sigh and began an outline. She was about to begin the first paragraph when her cellphone rang. Reaching over to the dresser she answered the phone after glancing at the display panel.

"I'm surprised that you called me." Sara said as she tapped lightly on the keyboard. The question mark appeared on the screen and she continued tapping the same key as she watched one after another roll along, filling the empty space.

"I know that you want to make the decisions on when we talk, Sara, but I really needed to hear your voice." Grissom sounded uncertain of himself, almost lost. She had heard him like this before.

"You had another nightmare, Grissom?" Sara let her finger rest on the key as she waited for his confirmation. It had been a running joke between them in the months they had been intimate. Who would comfort the other when the nightmares hounded them? It sometimes seemed that one or the other woke up in a cold sweat at least once a week. A warm soothing voice and loving touches always eased the tension and fears away and they were able to return to a more peaceful sleep. She knew what it was like to awaken from these dreams and be comforted and she knew too well what it was like to awaken, alone.

"What was this one about Grissom? Do you want to talk about it?" Sara spoke with a soft voice filled with compassion. She knew the impact of how much it cost him to share his fears with anyone, and she could not bring herself to shut him out now.

"This was a new one." Grissom confessed. He leaned back against his headboard and squeezed his eyes tight. "You vanished. I couldn't find you anywhere and I didn't know where you had gone. When I woke up, it still felt real." Grissom pressed a palm against mid forehead. "I needed to hear your voice."

Sara did not know what to say to this confession, so as she gathered her thoughts she said nothing. Grissom must have read his own thoughts into the silence because he cleared his throat and said with a gruffness that she knew he did not intend.

"I'll let you go, Sara. I'm sorry to bother you with this, it was thoughtless of me."

"Don't go, Grissom. I don't mind that you called me, it just threw me for a second." Sara felt a strange calmness wash over her as she reassured him. "I think that, considering everything that has transpired between us, your nightmares are understandable. I'm sorry that I've attributed to them."

"Enough that you will come home?" Grissom said without much hope in his voice.

"Home to Vegas? Or home to you, Grissom?" Sara felt the need to pinpoint where his intentions lay.

"Both." Grissom replied without hesitation, and then added with an almost hasty afterthought. "Or just home to Vegas if it will bring you back. You know that your job is always open, I haven't filled the position."

Sara contemplated his response. The thought of returning to Vegas, working with her friends and seeing Grissom, was almost too tempting. "Maybe, Grissom. I'll think about it but that's all I can say at this time. No promises."

"I'll take that, Sara, but I will give you a promise." Grissom gathered up his courage and said. "I promise that if you do come back, I won't pressure you into doing anything you don't want to do. I promise that I will continue to give you space and let you call the shots, but know that when you are ready then I'll be waiting."

A tiny smidgen of guilt crept over Sara as she felt one of her babies kick. Touching the spot, she tread on dangerous ground once again as she asked him.

"Grissom? Tell me why you said that you never saw children in our future? Have you _never_ wanted a child?"

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Wash Away part eleven

Note: Thank you for reading this story and sticking with it each chapter. I do appreciate the kind words. And, the suggestions. lol

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"I've never wanted children." Grissom answered with complete honesty. He wondered for the first time if he would lose Sara completely with his statement. Did she have a desire for children that he had never known about?

"Why not?" Sara had to push the issue. She could confess that she was carrying his children, thus boxing him into a situation he did not want to be in. Also, if she didconfess then she wonderedhow it would alter his feelings for herself being the one to put him in that box. Logic assured her that this was Grissom. He would love these babies. She, herself, had never planned on having children and now here she was actually excited about the role of being a parent.

"Sara, why are you quizzing me about this? Are you trying to tell me that you have decided that you do want children? You never acted like you wanted any in the past. You freaked out when I left you with that little girl years ago when her family had been murdered."

"Brenda." Sara said automatically before adding. "What if I did tell you that I want a child? Would that alter your promises about my returning to Vegas?" Sara held her breath and waited for him to answer her question.

"I told you that I have no desire for children, Sara, and I don't. If you wanted to be with me, then that is something you would have to accept." Grissom did not know how to explain his strong emotions on this subject, but he felt bile rising up in his throat as he waited for her response. He did not want to lose any chance with her over this. He was not sure if he would be able to accept fatherhood if Sara insisted that was something she clearly wanted.

"I see." Sara said calmly. Too calmly. "Then the question really should be, will I ever return to Vegas? Because, I can't agree to ever return to a relationship with you, if you are so adament on the subject of children."

Frustration warred in Grissoms head as he mentally kicked himself. He should have left this subject alone for now, waited until he could see her face to face before they got into a subject that was so loaded. "I want you to come back, Sara. We can always discuss the subject of kids after we've worked our own issues out."

"We do have some issues to work out, don't we, Grissom?" Sara bit her bottom lip, and asked another question that had been on her mind. "Have you seen her?"

Grissom did not have to ask who the _her _Sara was referring to was. "No. I have no plans on seeing her if I can help it. I spoke at the trial. I had no choice."

"She got off scott free?"

Sara did not want to talk about Lady Heather, but it _was _the issue that had driven them apart in the first place. If not for that overheard conversation then she and Grissom would be discussing their unborn babies and handling that issue along with the issue of their own future together.

"Heather was upset. She did what she thought she had to do in order to avenge her child." Grissom did not want to talk to Sara about Heather. In his world they were two very separate subjects.

"She slept with the man who killed her daughter, Grissom." Sara felt a load lifting off her shoulders as she vented her anger. "She could have gotten DNA evidence some other way. Or, here is a novel thought, she could have let the police handle obtaining the evidence."

"Sara." Grissom walked from his bedroom into the kitchen. He did not want to discuss this over the phone, and he certainly did not want to talk about Heather while he was sitting in the bed he had shared with Sara. "I'm not going to excuse what she did." He leaned his head against the cold refrigerator. "I'm telling you that I understand why she did what she did, even if I don't think it was the right thing to do."

"Well, that's what I don't get." Sara shifted her weight as one of her babies did a fancy move inside her body. "I would kill for my child, but I would not sleep with the person who hurt him."

Catherine had said the same thing months ago. Grissom had no argument then, and he had nothing now. As he processed her words, there was something about what she had said that he could not put his finger on, not when his mind was swimming from everything that had transpired.

Sara could not stop her emotions from coming through in her voice as she continued. This was the pinnacle of her anger and hurt with Grissom. How could the man she cared about and loved so deeply have such strong emotions for a woman who could do these things with such cold calculation. Emotions may have driven Heather, but her actions were undeniably well planned. She had been several steps ahead of the law throughout the case.

"And, then tie him to a car and ripping him to shreds with her whip?" Sara shivered at the thought. She had seen the photos of the shredded man, and although she knew he deserved it, she could not imagine weilding a whip and doing such a thing to anyone.

"He deserved far worse." Grissom said with a wince. "Again, I can't condone her actions, but-."

"You understand why she did what she did." Sara finished for him. "Did she serve any time for taking the law into her own hands?"

"No." Grissom thought of the trial, of the way the judge was staring at Heather in awe. He did not tell Sara, but he felt there was more going on behind the scenes. Heather had met his eyes once, shrugged, and left the court room.

"I see." Sara said for what felt like the tenth time in an hour. "Maybe you should call her and see how she is?"

"Sara? Why are you doing this? I don't want to call Heather. I don't want to see Heather. I'm talking to you, not to her."

"Maybe we shouldn't talk for awhile, Grissom." Sara said with sadness in her voice. "I'll call you soon." Sara shifted her weight once again as one of her babies moved one of her internal organs around, or so it felt like. The discomfort, however, was nothing compared to the pain and depression she felt after her conversation with Grissom.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Wash Away part twelve

Note: Thank you so much for all of the nice reviews.

Side note: I've struggled with the idea of would Grissom have enough clues to know that Sara is pregnant, and I really can't see that I've given him enough to put two and two together. Sara moved, but that wouldn't automatically give him cause to think she moved because she was expecting. The talk of children also doesn't really give him enough fuel for that thought. I'm open to opinions on this, if anyone feels that there has been reasonably enough information for Grissom to jump to that conclusion?

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Early September, 06

Vegas

Warrick, Nick, and Greg sat around the table in the breakroom. Warrick pulled a bland peanut butter sandwich out of a bag, inspected it with a loud sigh, and then replaced it with distaste. Tina still had him on a health food kick and his stomach was protesting with a vengeance. Greg gripped his mug of specially brewed coffee as he read one of the latest hollywood magazines, citing different oddities out loud to the other men's amusement.

"Why do you want to read that stuff, Greg? It warps your mind." Nick took a bite of his roast beef sandwich and shot a smirk over towards Warrick before handing him half of it.

Warrick took it with delight. "Thanks, man."

"Listen to this," Greg read from one of the articles with glee. "Brayden Tolsen found out that he has a ten year old son that he never knew about. His ex-girlfriend never told him that she was pregnant. Can you believe that shit?"

Catherine and Grissom walked, unnoticed, into the breakroom as Greg was reciting the article.

"Maybe she had a good reason." Warrick replied, and then added. "Maybe Brayden Tolsen did not want children and she was trying to spare him from the obligation of parenthood."

"That's just it. She is obligated to tell him." Greg said. He added with emphasis. "I would want to know if _my_ girlfriend was carrying my child."

"What girlfriend, Greg?" Nick asked with a chuckle.

"Seriously," Greg insisted. "Wouldn't you guys want to know if some woman were carrying your child?"

"Of course." Nick responded with a shrug. "But, then, I would know if I got a lady pregnant."

Rolling his eyes, Warrick caught sight of Grissom and Catherine who were both lingering just inside the doorway. Clearing his throat, he greeted them both and hoped that it would be enough for Greg to drop this topic of conversation. It could lead nowhere, good and fast.

Greg was of a different mindset. Spying new opinions and seeking to confirm his own viewpoint he held the magazine up for inspection. "What about you Catherine? If you were pregnant with some man's baby, wouldn't you tell him?"

"It depends on the situation, Greg. Who is the man? Does he want children?" Catherine shrugged. Moving over to the coffee pot, she smelled the rich aroma. "Ah, the good stuff. Thanks Greg."

"What about you Grissom?" Greg persisted, ignoring the warning looks he was receiving from Warrick.

"I can't get pregnant, Greg, to my knowledge." Grissom kept his retort lighthearted but his mind was screaming. He did not want to talk about children or pregnancy at this time. Not after his latest conversation with Sara.

Everyone laughed, except Warrick, who was rubbing the back of his neck and looking like he wanted to flee. Drop it, Greg. He thought furiously as the younger CSI kept pushing for an answer.

"Wouldn't you be pissed if you found out that you were a dad and the girl never bothered to tell you?" Greg asked, his eyes fastened on Grissom's face.

Grissom leafed through the newspaper that he had carried into the breakroom. He found the crossword puzzle, folded it over, and moved towards the sofa before speaking.

"It would depend on the situation, Greg. I would hope that I wouldn't be in the position of not knowing if I got a woman pregnant." He looked over the newspaper with a stern expression. "Apparently, you should be more careful if this is an issue that concerns you."

"You want to play a game of chess, Nicky?" Warrick asked with a sudden enthusiasm that brought four pairs of eyes to swing towards him in speculation.

Catherine placed her mug of coffee on the table as she slid into the chair between Nick and Warrick. "Why the change of subject, Warrick? Is Tina pregnant?" She almost spit out the words, but kept her gaze from flickering away from his stoic face.

"No. She's not pregnant and seriously I'm just tired of the subject. Greg is talking about some hollywood guy who discovers he has a ten year old son. I'm sure Tolsen will take all of the publicity he can get from this revelation."

"I agree with Warrick. Let's move on." Grissom said from his position on the couch. He folded one ankle over his knee and pulled a pen from his pocket, his eyes focused back on the crossword puzzle. He pushed the troubling thoughts that were tryng to sneak into his consciousness to the back of his mind.

Catherine turned her attention to Grissom. This was the first time in months that he had settled in the breakroom with them unless he was giving them assignments or they were discussing a case. His office had become a refuge for him with its locked door and closed blinds. Nobody, not even Ecklie, had tried to thwart his actions. She glanced back over to Warrick, who was looking suspiciously edgy. What was going on here?

"So, Warrick? Where are you going next week on your vacation?" Catherine asked him and found her interest spike even more when Warrick unconsciously glanced towards Grissom before looking down at the table.

"Tina and I are heading out to the West Coast." said Warrick as his eyes flickered back over towards the sofa where Grissom was now staring blankly at the newspaper.

Nick sat up straight and spoke before thinking about who was in the room. "Isn't Sara on the West Coast?"

'Thanks, Nicky.' Warrick said silently as he sent him a look to shut up.

Grissom's chin shot up and he was staring holes into Warrick. "I knew that Sara was on the West Coast. Area codes." Grissom may not have been functioning on his normal level of intelligence for the past few months, but he did know a few things, and he had attempted to track Sara's number.

Warrick nodded and did not break eye contact with Grissom when he spoke. "We are going to visit Sara. She wants to meet Tina and I thought it would be a good time to check on her in person and see how she is."

Grissom nodded. "That would be nice. I'm sure that Sara will appreciate your visit."

He did not know how he managed to keep his voice calm and even. Avoiding his teams eyes, he stood up and made an excuse to retire to his office. As Grissom left, the room erupted with questions for Warrick, concerning Sara.

"Will you try to talk her into coming home, Warrick?" Greg pleaded.

"I'm going to visit, Sara, not talk her into doing something that she doesn't want to do." Warrick said as his mind drifted to the secret Sara was carrying. He wondered if he had lost an opportunity to quizz Grissom on how he would react if someone did have his child and did not tell him. The information would have been useful to take out to the West Coast to Sara.

Feeling the weight of this secret, he again challenged Nick to a game of chess. This time Nick agreed and Warrick was out of the chair in seconds to retrieve the chessboard. Of all the nights to not have any cases to investigate, Warrick thought with an inward grumble.

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Early September, 06

Nothing would fit. Sara stared at the maternity clothes in dismay. She had not gone on eating binges. She had followed the diet that Iris had given her to the letter. Exercise had been out of the question in the past month, but that still should not have accounted for the jump in weight she was experiencing. She sank onto the edge of her bed with a frown. She would have to order new maternity clothes, that was all there was to it. She would order them online. Meanwhile she needed something that would fit.

With an awkard motion, she managed to push herself off the bed and move over to her dresser where she opened the second drawer. The light blue t-shirt, that she kept folded neatly on top of a similar one in dark blue and another in faded yellow, screamed out at her with images of their owner. With shaky hands she pulled the shirt out of the drawer and held it up to her nose. She wanted it to smell of Grissom. He had left the shirts at her apartment and she found them as she pulled clothes out of the dryer as she packed to move.

The odor of fabric softener filled her senses and she clutched the shirt as a tear slipped from the corner of her eye. Taking a deep breath she finally braced her emotions and berated herself for being so sensitive. As she pulled the shirt over her head and felt the fabric stretch over her expanding abdomen, she felt somehow closer to Grissom and simultaneously felt like she was fifteen years old. She had to get a grip on her emotions and soon, if the feel of these two lives pushing around inside of her were any indication of the responsibility she would soon be facing.

Waddling. Sara had to admit she was actually waddling as she maneuvered her way to the kitchen for an orange. She stood in her small kitchen and stared at the empty fruit bowl. Opening the refrigerator she found a similar situation. How had she let this happen? Touching her belly, she frowned at her lack of foresight.

Style was not something she was too concerned with these days, which was a good thing as Sara tugged on the tight fitting maternity pants and allowed Grissom's t-shirt to hang over her protruding belly. She would order some more sundresses when she returned from the store, if only for the comfort of the loose garments.

With one hand she grabbed her keys and with the other, her pocket book. It had been a week since she had left her cottage and that was only to drive to her weekly appointments with Iris. Each week she had an ultrasound so that they could check the position of the babies. On the second ultrasound with Iris, she had proof positive that she would have two boys. Baby B had tried to stay elusive as Iris had poked and prodded with the transducer. His legs stayed locked at the knees until Sara shifted over onto her right side and he shifted with her movement, revealing his sex.

Now, she tried scooting behind the wheel of her car and found herself grunting with dismay. She could not fit behind the steering wheel of her Denali. Slapping the steering wheel she let out a frustrated cry and reached below the seat to pull the lever that would allow the seat to move back. It would not budge as she knew it would not as her long legs had years ago compelled her to push the seat as far back as it would allow.

Climbing out of her car she stared at it with agitation. It could not be safe to drive with her belly pressed into the steering wheel, and she would never endanger her babies. Reaching back into the car she adjusted the steering wheel, bringing it as far up as it would go before sliding back into the seat. This time she just fit behind the wheel.

The grocery store was less than a block away and she drove slowly, unable to move or shift, as the discomfort of the boys actions pressed on her bladder. Once in the store, she decided to overstock her home with necessary items as she sensed that in another week she would not be making the trip so easily.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Title: Wash Away part thirteen

Note: Thanks everyone for reading. And, thanks to everyone who has reviewed and offered their views. I do read each one and take them seriously. However, like everything in life nobody has the same opinions and I'm bound to disappoint many.

Thanks again for the nice comments, they are appreciated.

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Early September, 06

Vegas

Grissom left the breakroom and walked on unsteady legs down the hallway towards his office where he could lock the door, turn the lights off and relax in his chair to contemplate the information he had just received. His plan was altered as he found Brass standing in the doorway of his office, a strained frown pulling the corners of his lips.

"What's wrong, Jim?" asked Grissom as he stopped in front of his friend.

"What isn't." Brass responded as he motioned towards Grissom's office. "I need to let you know about something that I think you will find interesting."

Following Brass into his own office, Grissom could not imagine what he could tell him that would inspire such drama. Spinning around on his heel to confront Brass he asked sharply.

"Is this something about Sara?"

Brass winced. "No."

Shutting the door behind himself, Brass indicated the chairs as he suggested. "I think we should sit and have a drink." He pulled a flask out of his pocket as he spoke and waited until Grissom settled into his own chair and had taken a sip of the scotch before he broke the news.

"Lady Heather came to see me today."

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Mid September, 06

West Coast

"This place is so cute!" Tina gushed as Sara opened the cottage door to allow Warrick and his wife entry. She had to laugh as she watched Warrick's eyes gorw wide at the sight of her extended frame.

"Thank you, Tina. It's good to see you, Warrick." Sara reached out to hug her friend and after an awkward session of how to reach around the extended belly they laughed and hugged.

"Wow. You look amazing, Sara." Warrick stared at her belly as she blushed.

Turning her attention to Tina, she smiled with warmth. "I'm so glad to finally meet Warrick's wife."

Tina was beautiful and Sara thought that they made a good match. Tina thanked her for inviting them and they spent the next hour in light discussion about Vegas, married life, kids.

"Have you thought of names, Sara?" Tina questioned as she watched the latest ultrasound that showed the boys in motion. But, then, Sara thought wryly, these boys were always in motion.

"I've given it some thought. Nothing is concrete." She had thought about names, but could not admit to Warrick or Tina that it was the last name that was stumping her the most. She knew that she would list Gilbert Grissom as the dad on the birth certificate. As thoughts of this had assaulted her mind, the questions would begin. Could she give her son's the last name of Sidle? Or, should she give them the name they should rightfully have claim to and one that would legally separate them from herself? Each time she had these questions she would decide that Sidle-Grissom would be appropriate given the circumstances, and then the questions would begin once again.

"Warrick is a nice name for a boy." Warrick said with a soft laugh.

"I could name one of them Warrick Gregory and the other Nicholas Brass." Sara teased back. "Do you think my children would forgive me?"

"They would, but I wouldn't." grumbled Warrick with a wink. "I like Brass Warrick much better."

"You would." Tina leaned over and brushed a kiss on his cheek before turning back to the video as she said with a wistfulness that Sara could not help but notice. "Your babies are adorable."

"Thank you." Sara said and arched an eyebrow over at Warrick. He just shrugged and made a gesture towards the beach.

"You think we could take a walk before dinner?" Warrick asked as he stretched his arms behind his back and glanced at Tina.

Sara's smile was wide as she urged them to go for a walk on the beach and take their time. "I'll have dinner ready when you come back."

"You don't want to come with us?" Warrick asked her with a grin.

"I don't think so. Not this time, anyway." Sara punched his arm gently and grinned back. She was happy to see her Vegas friend, but at the same time his presence made her think of someone else.

She watched them go out the door and picked up the phone.

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"Grissom."

He sounded distracted. Sara gathered up her courage and said hello. She had been unsure if he would want to talk to her after their last conversation, and she had been uncertain of what more there was to say.

"So, have you seen Warrick?" Grissom asked.

Sara knew that everyone was aware that Warrick was coming to see her on the West Coast. He had phoned her that night and confessed, informing her of the entire conversation. She had listened intently for Grissom's response to Greg's question, and then could not hide her disappointment with the answer.

"Yeah. Warrick and Tina are having dinner with me, they should be back in thirty minutes or so." Sara waddled into the kitchen as she spoke and opened the refrigerator. She pulled a variety of veggies from the top drawer and placed them on the counter.

"I'm making that vegetarian casserole dish that you thought was so good." Sara remembered his expression as he took his first bite of the casserole she had spent an hour concocting.

"Ahh, I remember. It was very good." Grissom licked his lips at the memory of that first dinner and what had happened afterwards. "I also remember dessert."

Sara pressed her hands on the counter and felt herself breathing heavier with each second. The first time they had sex. They had been going out on dates for a month, kissing, touching, but it was the first time they had consumated their relationship. Grissom had placed their plates in the sink and asked her what was for dessert.

'Me.' She had responded. They had laughed at the corny answer, but then the glint in Grissom's eyes fled and he turned serious as he pressed her against the counter, his hands on either side of her, his gaze intent on her lips. She had expected their first time to be awkard, imperfect. It was beautiful.

"Sara? Do you remember?" Grissom was asking across the miles.

"I can't forget." Sara said with complete honesty.

It was in that moment that she wanted to tell him the truth about everything. She wanted to tell him that she was carrying his sons, that he would love them once he met them. She opened her mouth to let the words spill out when she heard a voice call out to Grissom. A feminine voice that echoed across the line and caused her words to freeze in her throat.

"Who is that?" She finally choked out the question, although instinctively she knew.

"Nobody, Sara. I'm working on a case." Grissom's voice was edged with tension as he looked across his office at Heather and Brass. "It's something that Jim asked me to help with and I couldn't refuse."

"It sounded like Lady Heather." Sara knew the womans voice. She had made a point of seeing her when she was brought into police headquarters after whipping that man. Sara had stood behind the two way mirror as Heather had given her side of the events, at first with detached emotion and then with calm conviction.

She heard Grissom draw a deep breath, heard the frustration in his voice when he spoke. "It is, but Sara it's not what you think."

"Nothing ever is, Grissom." The sadness was back. She wanted to listen to his explanation and felt she could give him that. "So, Brass asked you to work some case that involves Lady Heather?"

She felt betrayed by Brass. How could he ask Grissom to see Lady Heather?

"Exactly." Grissom expelled his breath and spoke quickly. "Is it okay if I call you later? I will explain everything."

"Sure."

After pushing the 'end' button on her cell phone, Sara wiped the corner of her eye. He was working with Lady Heather. That was all he was doing. She tried to assure herself of that fact. He would be around a woman he admitted that he found fascinating, that he desired on some level. If she had never left Vegas, would he still be working this case?

"Sara? Are you okay?"

Warrick's concerned question brought her out of her self loathing and she swiveled her neck around to look at him. She started to respond that of course she was fine, and why was he back so soon? Instead, she broke down. Tears rolled down her face and she could not will them to cease. She felt Warrick wrap his arms around as much of her as he could, and tried to sniff back the flow of salty water.

"I called Grissom." Sara finally managed, her voice muffled as she kept her head burried in Warrick's shoulder. "He is working with her again."

Warrick shook his head and asked in confusion. "Who is _her_?" Before she could speak, he cleared his throat and added quickly. "Nevermind. I know who your talking about, but seriously, are you sure?"

"I heard her greet him when I was talking to him. I was going to tell him everything, Rick. Everything." She pulled away from Warrick and rubbed her right side. "He said that he would call me later and explain."

"That's good." said Warrick as he pulled a paper towel off the counter and handed it to Sara. "Then you know that it's nothing."

"Brass asked him to work some case that involved her, and it shouldn't bother me like this, but it does. I have no claims on him." Sara looked around the room as if noticing for the first time that someone was missing. "Where is Tina? I thought that you two would be gone much longer than this."

"Well, yeah, the thing is, Tina and I had an argument and she went back to the hotel. She told me that she would see you tommorow." Warrick looked sheepish as he tried to shrug it all off.

"Everything was fine when you left." Sara commented. She did not want to see this couple fighting and hoped that she had not been the cause of the disagreement.

"Tina is ready for a baby, and I'm not." Warrick admitted. "I'd like to wait at least one more year, or maybe two years."

"You would be a wonderful daddy, Warrick. Any child would be lucky to have you."

Sara recalled the little boy that she overheard Warrick chatting with when she had first moved to Vegas. It was one of those eye opening moments when she realized why Grissom trusted this man so much and was willing to keep him on his team. There had been many instances since that time when she had observed Warrick with a child of some victim. She always thought that Warrick would be the first one on the team to become a parent.

"I'm not saying never, Sara, only that I'm not ready to jump into parenthood right now." Warrick rubbed his jaw with his right hand and held his left hand up for her inspection. "We didn't know each other that long when we got married, and I feel like each day we are still getting to learn about what makes the other tick."

"I don't think that ever changes." Sara picked up a tomato and turned it around in her hand while a thoughtful expression played over her features. "I want him to know about these babies, Rick."

"Then tell him." Warrick urged as he took the tomato from her hand and bit into it. "Better yet, ask him to fly out here to see you. Let him be here when they are born."

His words tugged at her heart. She wanted him to know. She wanted him to come out here. "Maybe I will ask him to come out here. I don't want to tell him about the babies on the phone, though. I think it would be best in person."

"One look at you and I think even Grissom could guess." Warrick dodged her playful fist and laughed as she picked another tomato up and tossed it at him.

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Title: Wash Away part fourteen

Note: Thank you again for the wonderful reviews and opinions!

Side note: LH...I know...I'm trying to avoid cliches, but I may hit some walls. I really don't like LH/Grissom and do not understand the plausibility of it at all. And, no, there is no LH/Grissom in my stories. Never. I'm strictly GSR, so granted, his reaction towards LH is probably not in line with how the show's _real_ writers would portray it, but this is what I would like to see.

Thanks again to Nancy for info on twin discomfort. g 

Mid September, 06

Vegas

Grissom clicked the phone off and stared into space. What was Sara about to tell him before she heard Heather? It was something important, he was certain of that much, and vowed to call her back as soon as he could get some time alone. Heather could not have walked in at a more lousy time.

Brass cleared his throat. He felt like shit when he realized that Grissom was on the phone with Sara and that she had heard Heather greeting him as they stepped into his office. He had not wanted to ask Grissom to help with Heathers problem, but she had been insistent that he was the only one that could. He could only hope that Sara would understand and not be angry with either of them.

Heather tilted her head to the side and watched Grissom as he fought back his emotions. It was the first time she had seen him so emotional about anything, and wondered who Sara was exactly.

Tossing his cellphone onto his desk, Grissom pushed the thoughts of what Sara must be thinking to the back of his mind. Brass had come to him last week and explained that the homicide he was working was related to several missing infants, Lady Heather's missing grandchild possibly amongst them. Various insects were crawling about the victims and Brass needed a timeline. It was a convoluted mess. Brass had insisted that he would have kept him out of the loop since it was a dayshift case, but for the bugs. Again, Grissom thought, his luck was not going very well. He wanted to finish the timeline, go home, and then call Sara back.

"I don't have anything yet." Grissom told them with a shrug. "I'll call you, Jim, when I have some information." He stood up, retrieved his phone, and walked towards them.

Heather stopped him with a cold stare. He had treated her with indifference the last time they met and she had not liked it at all. After the incident with the whip, he had distanced himself, called an ambulance and then Brass. He had returned to police headquarters with them but he had remained separate which was fine by her since she prided herself on being independent. They had gone their separate ways, with the exception of the trial, until she had requested Brass to seek his help.

"I thought that we could all have dinner, catch up on the case." Heather suggested with a soft smile.

Frowning, Grissom exhanged looks with Brass, and then looked back at Heather. "I told you that I don't have any more information, Heather, and I have too much work waiting for me to leave here for dinner. Take Jim."

Brass shook his head. "I asked Heather to remain at home and let us handle this case." He happened to walk up to Grissom's office at the same time as Heather. A lucky coincidence he grimly though as he wondered about Heather's motives.

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West Coast

She could not get comfortable. If she lay on her right side, then one of her babies would twist and kick. If she turned onto her left side, then the other one would protest. Lying flat on her back was not much better. The only time they stopped moving and pushing was when she walked. So she walked. She walked from the bedroom to the living area and back to the bedroom, all the time carrying her cellphone as she waited for Grissom to call her back with explanations.

She eased herself onto the sofa. Grissom owed her no explanations. That was the kicker. He did not owe her anything because she had left and they had never made a verbal committment to one another. Squeezing her eyes shut, she rubbed her belly, stared at the phone and wished she could get some sleep. She did not know which was worse, the discomfort of carrying two squirming boys or waiting for another one to call.

It was daybreak when the her phone rang, startling Sara from her restless sleep.

"Did I wake you?" Grissom asked as he looked at his watch and frowned. He was still at work, waiting rather impatiently for his research to be complete. "I could call you back in a few hours?"

"That's okay, Griss." Sara answered in a groggy voice. She rubbed her brow and tried to figure out why her legs were soaking wet. "Oh, shit."

"What is it? Sara, what's wrong?" Grissom asked. He stopped pacing and waited for her reply.

"I think you should come out here, Grissom. I'll tell Warrick to call you, but right now I have to hang up the phone." Sara knew that she probably sounded crazy to him. First, she did not want him to know where she lived. Next, she told him he should fly out here immediately. In this exact second she knew that she wanted to see him and that he needed to get his ass out here.

She called 911 before she phoned Warrick. "My water broke, Warrick. I need you to call Grissom and give him directions."

"Whoa, whoa. Your water broke?" Warrick asked. He sat up in bed with sudden alertness. "You told him?"

"Not yet." Sara gritted her teeth as a spasm of pain gripped her body. "I just told him that he needed to come out here and that you would give him directions."

"That's not cool, Sara. I have to field the questions when he wants to know why you suddenly request his presence and he needs to hop a plane immediately."

Sara clutched her side as another ripple of pain hit her body. "Warrick. I. Am. Having.These babies. " The pain subsided and she released a long breath. "I don't give a shit what you tell him right now."

"Okay." Warrick held his hand over the mouthpiece and informed of Tina that Sara's water broke and she was in labor. "My other line is ringing, it's probably Grissom.You want me to drive to your place or meet you at the hospital."

"Hospital." Sara could now hear the ambulance sirens. "Warrick? I'm sorry for snapping at you, I've never experienced these-." She could not finish as another pain sliced through her thoughts.

"It's okay, Sara. We'll see you at the hospital." Warrick hit the button on his cell phone and answered the call from Grissom. "No questions, Griss. Call this airline and get the first flight out." He gave him the airport and the city, and waited for Grissom to repeat the information. Instead, Grissom protested.

"I'm in the middle of a case that requires my attention, Warrick. Is Sara okay? What is going on?" Grissom stared at the larvae and his notes. He was so close, but it was going to take at least another day or even two.

"Give the case to Nick or Catherine." Warrick persisted. "You need to catch the next flight. I can't say anymore."

"Is Sara in danger?" Grissom dropped the pen he was holding and felt the back of his neck begin to ache.

"Not directly." Warrick hedged. She was giving birth to twins. How dangerous was that? "Could be, I don't know." Warrick watched Tina pull a dress over her head and dash into the bathroom. "I need to get dressed, Griss. Call me when you know what flight you get on."

"I can't leave yet, Warrick." Grissom saw Catherine and Greg walking past the lab. "I'll call you back."

Warrick was left holding the phone and marveling at the fact that his mentor could be so dense when it came to his own life. He looked up at Tina who had reemerged from the bathroom. "I can't believe this guy."

"He isn't coming? Does he know that Sara is about to have his babies?" Tina slid her shoes on and picked up one of Warrick's shirts before tossing it to him.

"No, she had decided to tell him, but didn't have a chance." Warrick tossed his phone on the bed and pulled the shirt over his head. "If he blows this, then I'm not sure if Sara will be able to look past it."

"I don't agree, Warrick. He doesn't know she is pregnant, so how can he make a rash decision to jump on a plane at a seconds notice and fly out here for some reason he doesn't understand?"

Warrick pulled on his jeans as he processed Tina's point of view. As he reached for his socks, he shook his head and said matter of fact. "Because, Sara would never ask him to do this if it wasn't something important. Grissom should know that much."

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

Title: Wash Away part fifteen

Note: Thanks again for the reviews!

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Vegas

Grissom caught Catherine's eye as she and Greg walked past. Motioning her into the lab, he waited as she made a comment to Greg and then veer into the room as the younger CSI continued towards the locker room.

"What's going on?" Catherine asked. It had been a long night and she was ready to go home, take a shower, and crawl into bed.

"I need to get a flight out of here today, but I can't leave this timeline in limbo." Grissom motioned towards the paperwork and the larvae. He knew that Sara would not have asked him to fly out to see her if it was not urgent. "Catherine, call Warrick for me and see if he will tell you what is going on with Sara? I'm going to check on flights."

He was one step from the door to the hallway when he turned back towards Catherine and said with a shake of his head. "I don't know how to leave my research up in the air if I just take off. It would invalidate the entire project."

Catherine had no idea what was going on here, but she saw the hunted look in his eyes and recognized it for what it was. "Go check on flights. I'll check with Warrick." Catherine offered him a small smile. "Gil? Your work is important, but it isn't like you can't start over with more larvae."

Grissom shook his head at her statement. Hours of pain staking work and he could 'just start over'? His thoughts went to Sara as he hurried down the hallway towards his office and the parallels stood out in stark contrast. Years of pain staking work. The past few months of pain and lonliness. He reached his office and pulled a phone book from a desk drawer.

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West Coast

Sara was in an OR room.

'Just in case we need to do an emergency C-section.' Iris had reassured her with a calmness that did not reassure Sara.

She tried to count the number of people that were piled into the small room and each time lost count as another contraction altered her mental status. She knew that there would be a set of doctors and other assistants for each baby. She also knew that the hustle and bustle of people meant that it was not going to be long before she would finally get to meet her sons.

"I need to speak to Warrick." said Sara when Iris asked how she was holding up."My friend, Warrick, he should be here by now."

Iris assured her that she would get a message to him, but Sara was adament. "Ask him if he spoke with Grissom."

She tried to focus on a point on the wall. A clock. She watched the minute hand turn slowly. Iris returned and informed her that her friend, Warrick had assured her that he had spoken with Grissom. 'But, is he coming?' Sara wondered as she watched that minute hand spin in circles.

"Iris? I need my cellphone." Sara said with a renewed urgency.

She had not wanted to tell Grissom over the phone, because it seemed like the cowards way out. She watched as Iris slipped out of the room to locate her cellphone and asked herself if trying to honor Grissom's wish to _not_ have children was somehow selfish. For her, selfish would be trapping a man you loved in a position of parenthood that had adamently stated he did not want the responsibility.

Telling the man you loved that you were carrying his babies and not being able to read the expressions on his face and in his eyes was the last thing she wanted. If that made her selfish, then maybe she was. As another pain spiked, she felt a new emotion. She wanted him to know.

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West Coast

"I can't tell you what's going on, Catherine, only that it is important." Warrick had been arguing with Catherine for the past ten minutes. "Is he going to fly out here?"

"Is Sara having an operation, Warrick? Is she sick?" Catherine wanted to throttle the man for being so evasive. She needed a concrete reason to convince Grissom to abandon his case. "I need something, Warrick."

Warrick considered his options. If he told Catherine he would betraying a trust, if he did not tell her then Grissom would possibly ignore the urgency of Sara's request.

Watching her husband struggle with indecision, Tina grabbed the phone from his hand. "Catherine? This is Tina. Sara is pregnant and in the process of having Grissom's babies without him. You decide what to tell him, but Sara would like for him to be here."

Warrick's mouth dropped open and he grabbed the phone. "Catherine? Don't tell him that! Sara wants to speak to him face to face and I think it would be a mistake if it came from you or me. Besides, you know Grissom as well as anybody. Do you think the Grissom that you know would hop a plane to rush to a womans side that is carrying his babies?"

On the other end of the line, Catherine was struggling with the shocking announcement Tina had so bluntly delivered. Sara pregnant? Babies? As in plural? "I think that Grissom would hop on a plane to Timbuktwo first. He has been adament about not having children." Catherine tried to process everything Warrick had said. "But, this is Sara, and Grissom would never shirk his duties to anyone."

"That's just it, Cath. His duties. Sara doesn't want him to be with her and their kids just because it is the _right_ thing to do. Except, now that she's in labor she isn't thinking along the same lines." She was thinking along emotional lines, he thought to himself as he asked. " Do you think he is planning on flying out here?"

"If I have to knock him out myself and put him on the plane." Catherine gathered her thoughts. "How close is she?"

"He won't make the delivery even if he leaves right now." Warrick thought of his conversation with Sara's doctor, and knew that was a fact.

They said their goodbyes and Warrick wondered how Catherine would approach Grissom.

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

Title: Wash Away part sixteen

Note: Thank you for all of the comments and support. It does keep me going. I'll be gone all weekend so there may not be an update until Monday.

Side Note: Maybe flight attendants would _neve_r act this way, but for the intents and purposes of this story...what can I say

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Vegas

"You make reservations for that flight yet, Gil?" Catherine asked. She stepped into Grissom's office and closed the door behind her with a soft thud. She was shellshocked. The idea of Grissom and Sara as parents. Grissom with children? Turning back around to face him she waited for his reply before she made any confessions that were not hers to make.

"The earliest flight I could get leaves in thirty minutes. It will take an hour and half for the flight to land. I have a return flight back tonight."

Grissom spoke as he picked up a notebook and walked around his desk until he stood in front of an extremely stunned Catherine. She was certain that she would have to talk him into making such an impulsive move and was now left not knowing what to say.

He arched an eyebrow and asked. "Did Warrick give you any more information?"

Catherine shook her head. Warrick had not given her information, but his wife had given her more than she knew what to do with. "You can call him with your flight information. I'm sure he will pick you up at the airport."

"Here." Grissom placed his notebook in her hands. "You have helped me with timelines before, you know the ropes. There really isn't much to do right now but wait and change the video tape out in another hour. Make sure there is no lapse in video time, Catherine."

So much for sleep, but this was worth every sleep deprived hour. "Call me, Gil. And, good luck."

Grissom did not have time to ponder her statement as he walked quickly from the building and to his car.

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West Coast

Sara watched as Iris did a cervix check.

"It's closer, Sara. You are dilated at 9." Iris walked around the exam table and smiled. She did not like the strained expression on Sara's face and tried to put her at ease. "You will be holding your beautiful babies soon."

The comment did not put her at ease, but intensified as she clutched the cellphone to her chest. She wanted privacy to call Grissom, but she had waited to long for any chance of that as the numerous hospital personnel entered and left the room preparing for the births.

With shaking hands she hit a button on her phone and waited as it connected with Grissom's. He answered on the first ring.

"I'm waiting to board the plane, Sara. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She breathed deeply. 'He's flying out here. He's actually flying out here.' The thoughts tumbled in her mind as she blurted out something that she had been holding in for too long. "I need you, Griss. I hope that you can forgive me when you know the truth."

She did not mean to drop the phone, but as another pain rippled through her body she could not hold onto it and it fell with a loud thump to the OR floor.

"What truth? Honey? They are boarding us on the plane. I'll be there in less than two hours." He stared at the phone and was starteld when he heard Sara give a short scream and then moan. His heart stopped and then he heard a strangers voice soothing her, encouraging her to push.

Grissom slid into his seat on the plane with the phone pressed against his ear, afraid to breathe, lest he lose the connection.

"Push, Sara, that's it. I see the top of his head." The woman kept the encouragement going as Sara growled and pushed. "That's it. Here he comes." The pushing, the grunting, and then the sound of an infants tiny cry.

From his seat on the plane, Grissom did stop breathing. This was some surreal dream. His phone beeped indicating an incoming call, but he could not move to press the button. A memory popped into his mind of Sara saying that she would do almost anything to protect her child, protect _him_. She had asked him several times about their future and if children would be part of the plan. He had not pieced it all together, instead insisting to Sara that he did not want children.

Grissom felt a hand touch his shoulder and he looked up into the face of the flight attendant who was pointing to the seatbelt sign. Nodding he reached for the seatbelt as he balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear, listening to the commotion over the line. He felt another touch on his shoulder and this time he frowned up at the same flight attendant.

"Sir? You need to turn off your cellphone. We are about to take off."

Grissom watched the flight attendant walk away. He pressed the phone against his ear and could hear the commotion. He knew there was some evidence that linked battery-operated devices with disruption of critical aircraft navigation systems, but nothing concrete to his knowledge. He stained to here Sara's voice and wondered why she was panting hard once again. He did not get a chance to listen further as the flight attendant returned, reached out, and plucked the phone from his hand.

"I told you, no cellphones." The flight attendant glared at him as she waltzed back to the front of the plane where she could take her seat for the takeoff.

Grissom's fury with the flight attendants actions was soon replaced by the reality that he had a son.

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

Title: Wash Away part seventeen

Note: Thanks for all of the reviews! I do appreciate each one.

Side Note: Constructive Criticism is always welcome. Immature insults I can do without. Thanks.

Thank you again to Nancy, for the info on twin births. I hope that I didn't butcher it too much.

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The flight attendant offered an apology when she handed the cellphone back to Grissom as he exited the plane. Taking it without a word, he placed it in his pocket. He had used the air phone in an attempt to contact Sara, but only got a busy signal. When he called Warrick, he got the answering service and left the planes arrival time. If Warrick was not there, then he would get a taxi to take him to the hospital.

Warrick was standing at the gate when Grissom stepped into the terminal. A nervous energy surrounded Warrick as Grissom approached.

Without bothering with greetings, Grissom cut right to the point. "How long have you known that Sara was pregnant?"

His eyes widened and he now stared at Grissom with resignation. "So, Catherine told you?"

It was Grissoms turn to look taken aback. "Catherine knew about this? Am I the only one in Vegas who didn't know?" Grissom did not wait for a reply as he walked away from Warrick and towards the exit.

"Catherine just found out, Griss. Tina broke the news because she thought that it would help." Warrick looked uncomfortable as he jogged to catch up with him. "I'm sorry, Griss, really I am. Sara asked me not to say anything and it_ is _her body."

Grissom did not stop walking, but snapped over his shoulder. "But, it's part of _me _that is growing inside of her body. I don't know about you, but that gives me some rights, Warrick."

A sheepish Warrick followed him outside of the airport. He motioned Grissom towards his rental car and waited until the agitated man had slid into the passenger seat before he spoke. "How did you find out? Did Sara tell you?" He thought about Sara's doctor asking him for Sara's cellphone. He knew that it was not protocol for a patient to use a cellphone in the OR, but apparently Iris had made an exception.

"She was talking to me and dropped the phone." Grissom leaned his head against the cool pane of glass and waited impatiently for Warrick to turn the engine, and pull out into the lane.

Warrick tried to work the puzzle pieces. "So, you _heard_ her giving birth?" If Grissom was not so pissed at him and he did not feel so guilty, then he would have smiled at the thought. He refrained as one look over at Grissom chilled him to the core.

"You heard both of them being born?" Warrick quizzed. He knew about baby number one, but the second one did not want to come out the last he heard. Tina had promised to call him as soon as she heard anything.

Grissom swiveled around in the seat with a horrific look shining in his eyes. "Both of them? Clarify that, Warrick."

'Shit.' Warrick thought as he guided the car onto the expressway and pressed the accelerator down with a heavy foot. "You have two boys, Griss. I know that one of them is okay, but when I left they were trying to coax the other one out."

"Two boys." Grissom repeated this in awe mixed with apprehension. "I don't want kids, Warrick. I would make a horrible dad. I have absolutely nothing to offer them."

"Your kidding, right?" Warrick picked his words carefully. "Grissom, not to get all sentimental and shit, but you have been a father figure to me since the first time I met you. You took me under your wing and stood by me in the lowest points of my life. You think that being a dad to those boys is something that is impossible for you? I don't think so. I think they are lucky to get you for a dad."

His long winded speech left him out of breath, and he dared not turn to look at Grissom. Neither man spoke for the next ten minutes, not until they pulled up in front of the hospital. When Grissom spoke, it was so low Warrick could barely hear him.

"Thank you, Rick."

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Sara had watched as one baby was whisked away to be checked over, weighed, whatever else they did. She wanted to hold him, look at his face, talk to him.

"Sara, push. This little boy does not want to come out yet." Iris had told her as she pushed on Sara's stomach, her hand pressing her belly. Ten minutes elapsed as Sara pushed. Twenty minutes crawled by as she strained.

Iris stepped around to her side and spoke gently. "We may have to do an emergency C-section, Sara. This one does not want to leave."

"Not yet, Iris. A few more minutes? Can't you reach up there and get him?" Sara did not want to be cut open, but if that is what it took to save her baby she resolved to do as Iris thought best.

Iris chuckled softly. "Let's try to sit you up some and see if nature will take its course." She gave her a stern look. "No more than ten more minutes, though, and we will have to do the C-section."

Sara thought of Grissom, and knew that he was in the air, on his way to see her and meet his sons that he did not know existed. She wanted to be awake when he arrived, not knocked out from an emergency surgery. She wanted to speak to him without the influence of any drugs.

"Thata boy." Iris coaxed as she bent down and stared at the top of a bald head. "He's coming out, Sara, keep pushing."

In what felt like an eternity, Sara finally heard the soft cry of her second baby. As he was being whisked away by strangers, another bundle was being placed in her arms. Startled, she looked into the most beautiful face she had ever seen. She felt a tear trickle down her cheek. She had never imagined that she could feel this magnitude of love for someone else, and the thought of this being part of Grissom and herself was mind boggling.

"How is he?" Sara asked as Iris moved over to stand beside them. "How is my other baby?"

"They are both fine." Iris assured her with a big grin. "They are both strong, bigger than I thought they would be, and both breathing on their own."

Sara knew there were things she should ask, such as how much they weighed, but she only wanted to touch them. Her first born son stared up into her eyes, his own wide and curious. She had no idea a new born could be so alert. His eyes were a very deep blue, but she knew from reading books that they could change as he grew older. He was so tiny, but she could see so much of Grissom in him already. He had the same chin, the same shape of his eyes.

A nurse approached and held out her hands. "We are going to take him to the nursery to run some more tests. Someone will bring him to your room after your cleaned up, Ms. Sidle."

Sara fell back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She was so tired, but somehow more alive than she had ever felt in her life.

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Grissom did not wait for Warrick to park the car. He was inside the hospital and asking the first person he met where he could find the nursery floor. His nerves were taut as he paced the elevator. One second he was furious with Sara for keeping this from him, and the next he understood why she did what she felt was right. He had not helped her out any with his adament refusal to discuss children.

Stepping off the elevator, he looked around for something to point the direction to the nursery. Spying the nurses desk, he walked crisply towards it and leaned forward until he gained a nurses attention.

"Excuse me? I'm looking for a Sara Sidle. I believe she is having twins?" Grissom did not recognize his own voice, and almost jumped back when he heard the nurse give a boisterous laugh.

"Oh, yes dear. Ms. Sidle is in room 234." She motioned down the corridor on her left. "She was asleep when I checked on her a few minutes ago."

"Is she alright?" Grissom asked. He wanted to run immediately to the room and confront her, but something held him back. He could not make his legs carry him the few feet down the hallway.

"She is doing beautifully and so are her babes." The nurse indicated another corridor. "The nursery is down that way. Both boys are there until Ms. Sidle wakes up."

Grissom stared down the corridor where the nurse had pointed. He was semi aware of Warrick's approach at his elbow.

"You want to take a walk to the nursery, Griss?" Warrick had heard the nurses comment about Sara sleeping, and thought it would be a good chance for him to see the babies before confronting the exhausted woman.

Grissom's nod was barely noticable, but he moved forward in robotic motions along the corridor until he reached a large glass window. He felt his breathing quicken as his eyes searched the room. A nurse approached and pushed a button on the wall. Asking him the last name, he told her Sidle and saw the nurse frown and shake her head.

"Try Grissom." Warrick said quickly. The nurse's eyes lit up and she nodded. After calling to another nurse they each pushed a bassinet up to the window.

One bassinet displayed the name 'Baby A Grissom.' The second one, 'Baby B Grissom.' Pressing his head against the glass, Grissom stared at the tiny faces in wonder.

Baby A had a head of brown curly hair while Baby B was completely hairless. They looked so much alike to him with the exception of that fact. They had the same chin, the same button nose. Sara's ears. He smiled as he thought of all the times he had whispered in those ears and kissed the lobes.

"They are beautiful." Grissom finally breathed out in a rush.

Beside him Warrick was nodding as he felt a hand touch the center of his back and turned to find Tina smiling up at him.

"Makes you want to have one doesn't it?"

Warrick shook his head quickly. "No."

Stepping back from the glass, Grissom excused himself and walked slowly up the corridor. The last thing he wanted to hear was a disagreement about having babies between Warrick and his wife.

Hesitating outside of room 234, Grissom reached up to knock, but then changed his mind. Slowly, he pushed open the door and peered around the edge. Sara was still asleep, one arm flung across her stomach, the other by her side.

Easing himself into a chair that was beside the bed Grissom kept his eyes fastened on her face.

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

Title: Wash Away part eighteen

Note: Thanks so much for the very kind comments! I do hope this chapter does not "fluff" too much. ?

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Sara smiled in her sleep. Watching the soft curve of her lips, the urge to reach out and caress her face was almost too much for him to handle. Folding his arms at the elbows he sat back and closed his eyes. He wanted to be mad at her for leaving Vegas and not informing him of her condition. He wanted to be angry, but instead images of the first time he met Sara flashed through his mind, followed by the years of denial, avoidance, and finally acceptance as their relationship evolved.

Years filled with lonliness, anger and confusion. Everything had changed after Nick had almost died. He had invited Sara to breakfast that morning, beginning one of the most fulfilling relationships of his life. If someone had asked him two years ago if he could have ever coexisted with another person he would have flatly denied it. Sara had changed everything.

There was a feather light touch on his arm and his eyes flew open. Sara was staring at him with love, but also something else, something close to fear? He watched as she withdrew her hand and sat back against the bed, her gaze never wavering from his face. He knew that he should reassure her, tell her that he was no longer angry. Instead, he could only stare at back at her in silence.

She tore her eyes away from him and asked the question that was foremost in her mind. "Have you seen them?" She did not ask if he knew about the babies. He was here on the maternity ward, the answer was obvious. What she did need to know was what direction he wished for them to take now that he knew. Was he willing to be a parent to their sons?

"I have." Grissom unfolded his arms and leaned forward. Reaching out his right hand he placed it on Sara's arm and gently brushed his thumb over her elbow. "I think that they are the most perfect babies in the world."

This statement elicited a wide smile from Sara. Looking down at his hand on her elbow, she asked the next question that was on her mind. "Can you understand why I didn't tell you about them?"

Her smile faltered as he did not reply for several minutes and she felt his hand move away from her arm. Thinking he was withdrawing from her, Sara lifted her chin up and was about to confront him when she was stunned by his next action. He propped himself on the edge of her bed, one leg hiked up beside her hip so that he was facing her on the bed. Reaching up one hand, he cupped her chin gently between his fingers.

"I was stunned at first, Sara, I won't lie. It happened so fast." He told her about hearing the birth of the first baby via the cellphone. It was her turn to be shocked. She vaguely recalled dropping the phone when the labor pains had become so intense. It had never occurred to her that it was still on or that Grissom was discovering the truth in such a way. He told her about the flight attendant and then of Warrick's informing him of the fact that he had not one, but two sons.

"On the ride here from the airport I tried to process the fact that I have children. Sons. It is almost too much to take in, Sara." He lowered his hand and rested it on his thigh. "It's not going to be easy for me to change."

Sara placed her hand over his as she said softly. "I don't want you to change. I would like for you to be part of their lives, but I don't want you to do anything that you don't feel comfortable with, Griss. I care too much about you to put those types of demands on you." Taking a deep breath, she waited for him to respond.

"I know that I would like for you to move back to Vegas." Grissom intertwined his fingers with hers and squeezed gently as he continued. "I know that it's not going to be easy, but I want to try to be part of their lives. Who else is going to teach them about entomology?"

Sara could not keep the grin from forming. It felt so right to be sitting here with Grissom like this. There was a short knock on the door and Sara called out for the person to enter. The nurse that had given Grissom information stuck her head around the corner and asked her if she would like for the babies to be brought to the room to be fed.

"Please, thank you." An embarrassed flush crept over Sara's face and she glanced over at Grissom who was watching her reaction with a slight tilt of his mouth.

"I can leave." He suggested. Grissom assumed she would be breast feeding the babies and was right when she spoke quickly, keeping her hand in his own.

"No, it's fine. If it doesn't bother you to be in here when I breast feed, then I would like for you to stay." She told him about the baby books she had read and how she had decided that she wanted to try the breast feeding approach. "At least for the first few months."

Grissom gave her a short nod. He really did not want to think of Sara's breasts and was thankful when the door opened again admitting the same nurse who was pushing a single bassinet.

"I brought them both in one bassinet." She said and added with a humorous laugh. "I don't think there is much chance of them getting mixed up." She pointed to the bald head of one of the babies.

Grissom pushed off the bed in alarm. "They do have identity bracelets on, don't they? What if some stranger comes in here and decides to just take one of them?"

He was getting worked up and the nurse studied him with a patient eye. When he paused, she spoke firmly. "The babies have bracelets on that would set off an alarm if someone besides mom here, tries to take them off this floor." She looked over at Sara who held her arm up in confirmation. A plastic bracelet was wrapped around her left wrist.

"What if someone cuts the bracelet off?" Grissom asked. He was not impressed by the display of plastic wrapped around her wrist, or the babies legs as he peered over the edge of the bassinet.

"It's okay, Gris. Trust me, I checked the security out throughly before I decided to have the babies here. I trust them." Sara was moved by the protectiveness that Grissom was displaying. She never expected him to jump into the role so quickly.

Grissom stared from Sara to the nurse to the babies. He decided in that second that he would have to make sure of the security before he left since Sara was obviously thinking way too emotionally to form a proper perspective. He frowned. When he left. He watched the nurse pick Baby A up out of the bassinet and carry him over to Sara who took him with eagerness. Since this was the first time she had breast fed, the nurse offered to assist or locate the lactation consultant. Shaking her head, Sara thanked her but declined the offer.

She had not even gotten the sentence out before the baby was latching on to her left breast and sucking greedily. The nurse smiled and looked over at Grissom. "It appears that one has it down. Want to hold your other baby?"

He did not have time to respond before she was scooping the baby out of the bassinet and placing him in his arms before turning to leave the room. Grissom froze. He could recall only one other time in his life when he had held a baby and that one had not been moving, much less breathing. Shaking the image from his mind, Grissom looked at the tiny face and was fascinated by the studious and bright eyes staring back up at him.

Cradling the baby awkwardly, he moved back to the bed and took his previous position next to Sara. "What's his name?" Grissom asked as he tore his eyes from the baby for only a heartbeat, exchanging a significant look with Sara.

"I haven't picked out names for them. I was hoping that I could get your opinion." Sara stroked the soft curls on the baby she held against her breast. She kept her eyes on Grissom and the baby he was tenderly holding. "Any suggestions?"

Grissom took in the brown curly head of the baby she held and then the hairless head of the one in his own arms. Shrugging, he suggested with a smirk. "Curly and Moe?"

The first geniune laugh he had heard from Sara in months filled the room. Wiping the corner of her eye with her right hand she finally answered. "That sounds like something Nick or Greg would say. I would expect something more spectacular from you, Gris."

His eyes twinkling, Grissom again suggested. "Something like William Shakespeare? Percy Bysshe Shelley? Keats?"

"Something more along the lines of Aristotle or maybe a famous entomologist like William Kirby or Thomas Say?" Sara felt the baby stop suckling and looked down to check on him. She was about to pull him off her breast when he started sucking again. With a soft laugh, she looked up at Grissom and caught him staring at her chest in fascination.

"It's remarkable how the breast can form milk and provide sustenance for a baby." He was marveling at the process when the baby in his arms let out a sharp cry and he almost dropped him before correcting his mistake by holding the infant with both hands. "I think he's hungry." Grissom looked up and then over at her right breast.

Uncertain of feeding two babies at once, Sara suggested he press the nurses call button. The baby paused in his cries to stare at Grissom with expectant eyes and then began another series of cries.

"Sara, just try it, he's hungry." Grissom held the baby out to her and tried to turn him so that he had access to her right breast. "Uhm, you need to pull your gown up or something." Grissom blushed furiously but he held his ground.

Feeling the aching pull of her babies cry she shifted so that she could accommodate both babies, one on each breast. Baby B rooted around but did not latch on like the first one had so naturally done. Sara looked at him with a helpless expression and then gave Grissom an apologetic smile. "You'll need to help him latch on, Gris."

Grissom opened his mouth to protest and suddenly wished that he had pressed the nurses call button. Thinking in a scientific mindframe Grissom reached out and guided his babies mouth to the proper location. It took several seconds, but finally the baby latched on and began to suck just as his brother was doing. Beaming with satisfaction, Grissom sat back and stared at the back of both of his boys heads. So different and so perfect.

tbc


	19. Chapter 19

Title: Wash Away part nineteen

Note: Again, Thank you for the nice comments! Thank you for reading this chapter after chapter. I do appreciate it.

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It was an odd sensation, sitting in a hospital bed with two babies on her breasts and Grissom sitting inches away watching them with a transfixed expression. She knew that all of their issues were not resolved, but she also knew that nothing was as important as this very second in time.

"I think Baby A is finished." Grissom said. He wore a bashful smile as Sara looked up.

With a soft chuckle, she tilted her chin towards the baby as she asked. "Will you take him, Gris? My arms are falling asleep and I can't juggle them in this postion."

Grissom surprised himself with his eagerness to hold his firstborn son. Taking the baby from Sara's arms, he gently rotated him in the palm of his hands until the little boy's feet were against his chest and his face was positioned so he could examine every inch. His eyes were closed in a peaceful slumber and his fists were curled against his chest.

"We really should give them names, Gris." Sara said. The gentle expression on his face was doing funny things to her heart and she hoped that she could fight back this insane urge to sob. Trying to avoid this feeling she said lightly. "I really don't think they will appreciate being Baby A and Baby B when they are older."

This brought the desired smile from Grissom. He brought the baby close to his chest until he was cradling him in the crook of his right elbow before he spoke. "What made you give them my last name?"

He was staring in her eyes now, searching for the truth. She did not hesitate as she said. "When they had me fill out the paper work I did not think twice about it. I'm not sure I can give you a satisfactory reason, Gris. I just knew that it was what I wanted. I struggled with it for weeks and never felt such certainty as I did when it came time to write a name." She shrugged, not knowing what else to tell him. It had all happened so fast. The hospital. The paper work. "I have no regrets, I do know that." She had to ask him. "Is it okay with you?"

"Yeah." Grissoms voice was hoarse. He was more than okay with it, but did not know how to express that to Sara without losing his composure. He changed the subject, hoping to avoid strong emotions. "What about first names? Surely, you have tossed some choices around?"

Sara released a heavy sigh as she looked back down at the baby still on her breast. He appeared to be finished so she pulled him away from her breast and lowered her gown before placing him on her extended legs so that she could study him in the same manner as Grissom had studied Baby A. She smiled as that term popped into her mind. They really did need to give them names.

"There are names that I like. Nothing cutesy, you know? No Harry and Larry, or Bob and Rob." She made a face, squishing her nose in a way that always made Grissom smile. " It should be something strong and independent sounding."

"Thomas? David? Robert?" Grissom tossed out some names that he liked. He studied the baby he held once again, trying out the names in his mind as he looked at the tiny face. He had always heard people say that they waited to name their babies after they saw them. He was never sure what that meant. Looking at the small face he realized that he still did not understand that sentiment.

Sara looked again at Baby B. She gently ran her index finger along his soft cheek. "It's weird, but I thought that I would know what to name them when I saw them, but I have no clue what I'm supposed to see." She squinted her eyes in thought. "Thomas Grissom." She tested the name aloud and looked over at Grissom who watched her with interest. "It has a nice ring to it. Do you think he looks like a Thomas?"

Tilting his head, Grissom studied the little boy. "At the risk of sounding stupid, I'm not sure what a 'Thomas' looks like." His eyes twinkled and he completed this sentiment by adding. "However, I think that it does have a nice ring to it." He looked at the baby he held in his arms. "What about this one? What else has a nice ring to it that you like?"

"That _we _like, Gris." Sara blew out her breath. "Who would have thought that a name would be so hard? If we had a little girl I would have wanted Olivia or Chloe. I've always liked those names." She caught his intrigued expression and arched her brow as she shrugged.

"Do you wish that we had girls?" Grissom asked. He actually felt apprehension waiting for her response. If she was unhappy with having two boys then he had no clue how to console her.

"No!" Sara shook her head in emphasis. "I'm glad that we have two boys, Gris. Trust me." She made a motion over herself. "I'm more tomboy than girly if you haven't guessed that already."

"Your not that much tomboy, Sara. I know that first hand." said Grissom. His smile was shy as his eyes flickered over her body and then away. He could recall every inch of her body and often had as he lay awake and alone in his bed. For the first time he wondered what she had looked like pregnant with his sons. Sadness engulfed him as that thought assailed him.

He felt her hand on his knee but he did not acknowledge it as he kept his eyes trained on the baby in his arms.

"Gris? What's wrong?" Sara searched his face for an answer to the sudden change in his demeanor.

"I realized that I would have liked to see you pregnant." His eyes slid up to her face and then back to the baby he held. "I guess that sounds silly."

"No. I think that it's sweet that you wanted to see me wobbling around with your sons." Sara gave him a weak smile. "I wasn't a pretty site."

Taking a deep breath Grissom shook his head. "I can't imagine you not being beautiful." He gestured towards the baby he held. "So, what does this one look like to you? What about Andrew?"

Allowing the topic to revert back to the naming of their babies. "Andrew Grissom. I like that." She removed her hand from his knee and lifted it to the babies face. "Now, what about middle names?"

"Your turn." Grissom said. He slid off the bed and with careful movements placed Andrew on the bed next to his brother. Before she could question his intentions, Grissom returned to the bed, this time his left hip pressed up against her side and he now faced both of his sons as they lay side by side.

"I do have a baby name book in my bag." Sara motioned to the table next to the bed. Reaching behind Grissom she leaned over and rifled through a bag for a small book. Her arm brushed his back as she brought the book past him and to her lap. Instead of jumping away from her, Grissom leaned over her shoulder as she opened to the boys section of names.

"You circled several names." Grissom put his hand next to hers and flipped to the A's. With a soft smile, he looked over at her as he marveled. "You circled Andrew."

She did not reply, but flipped to the T section and waited for his response. "Thomas. What else did you circle?"

They spent the next twenty minutes going page to page until they had made a decison. Sara joked that it took longer for them to pick the middle names than the first and they both laughed. A sharp rap on the door and they waited as Warrick stuck his head around the corner. "Uhm, Gris? There's a phone call for you."

Warrick let his eyes travel over the domestic scene and he could not suppress the smile that erupted across his face. It was more than he could have hoped for when he was driving Grissom from the airport to the hospital. He had wondered if Grissom would was going to confront Sara and then leave. Seeing the babies through the glass had not dampened that uneasiness.

He flinched at the look he was receiving from Grissom, but Sara's expression was the opposite.

"Warrick, come in and meet our babies." Sara offered him a wide smile as she waved her hands for him to enter.

Warrick stepped into the room and held up his cellphone. "I'm sorry about bringing a phone in here, but it's Catherine. She's been hounding me and insisted that I bring the phone to you ASAP because she couldn't reach you on your own phone."

"I turned mine off for a reason, Warrick." Grissom said with an irritated look as he took the phone and lifted it to his mouth. "I can't talk right now, Cath, I'll call you back." He pressed the end button before she could protest. He would call her back, but right now he had to make some decisions. Handing the phone back to Warrick, he gestured to the babies. "Meet my sons, Rick."

Warrick smiled at the two sleeping babies as Sara introduced Thomas Boone Grissom and Andrew Bryon Grissom.

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

Title: Wash Away part twenty

Note: I had originally planned to have this story take a different road, but as with any story I've ever written it kind of takes on a life of its own and it really feels complete to me. So, this is the last chapter with exception of an epilogue. No LH, she is over and done. Put a fork in her. This is simple GSR at its happiest. Mush, I say, mush.

My apologies, Dr. T, I couldn't keep it going beyond the epilogue. I tried.

Thank you for reading this to everyone who has hung in there with each chapter. When I started this I only hoped for fifteen or twenty reviews and you guys have made my day each and every day. Thank you.

I believe of all the nice comments there were only three bad ones and possibly from the same person using different names and anomymously at that. What I don't get is why read so many chapters if you hate my story? If I dislike a story so much, I just don't read it. (Shakes head and laughs) And for the record, since I had no email to discuss this civilly and off the record, I don't find my characterization out of whack. Grissom thinking he is "soulmates" with a dominatrix? That is out of character IMHO And, something I stated from the beginning of the story so as to warn those who did not wish to read. Are _we_ watching the same show? LOL

My apologies to everyone else for feeding the troll.

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Grissom excused himself to make some phone calls and Sara watched him leave before turning to Warrick with a small shake of her head.

"Don't say it, Warrick." said Sara.

"I didn't say a word." Warrick teased in return. He walked over to the edge of the bed and gazed down at the babies. "Handsome little men you have there, Sara."

"Thank you." Sara looked past him towards the door. "Where is Tina?"

"She's in the waiting room and said she would see you tommorrow." He kept his eyes on the babies as he said in a soft voice. "You and Gris decide on where you are going to raise them?"

"Yes."

When that was all Sara said in response, Warrick twisted around to give her a direct look. "Well?"

Fighting back the smile, Sara brushed a strand of hair behind her left ear and said cagely. "Home, Warrick."

"Home is Vegas, right?"

"It is. Only I'm not sure when it will be okay for the babies to ride for a distance in the car and then I have to find someone to ride with us." Sara appeared very tired all of a sudden as the details of her situation began to catch up to her with the realization that she and Grissom had yet to discuss any of this. Where would she live when she returned to Vegas? Did Grissom expect them to live with him? She knew that he wanted to be part of the babies lives, but he had not told her to what degree he wanted them to be part of his life.

"Is it okay if I hold one of them?" asked Warrick.

Sara picked up the closest baby and placed him carefully into Warricks arms. Thomas waved his tiny fists around, but his eyes remained closed and he quickly settled into the steady arms that were holding him close.

"This is incredible." said Warrick. It was one thing to view a baby through glass, but to actually hold the fragile body in your hands was an all new sensation.

"Warrick?" Sara asked with sudden clarity. "When we do get home, will you be my sons uncle? I haven't seen my own brother in years, and I have no one else."

"Of course." said Warrick. He was flattered with her request. "You know that Nick and Greg will also expect to be their uncles. I'm guessing that these babies will lack for nothing."

"Nick and Greg are going to pissed at me for awhile because I kept this from them." Sara ran her hand over the covers, smoothing out invisible wrinkles. "I don't expect them to speak to me when they find out."

"Don't be crazy. If Grissom is talking to you then those guys will be fawning all over you. Trust me."

"Thanks, I think." said Sara with another shake of her head. "I'm not sure why Grissom is talking to me."

"Sometimes _he_ wonders why, but alas he's still here."

Sara and Warrick both looked up at the man in the doorway. Grissom stood there wearing a silly grin and looking for all the world as if some heavy weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Lifting those shoulders in response to their curious expressions, he said simply. "I made some phone calls."

Warrick was the first to speak. "It must have been some very important calls by the looks of you."

Grissom nodded. He walked back over to his previous position beside Sara and reclaimed his seat. "I called in some favors."

Glancing to the side and up at him, Sara searched for her voice. She was feeling like this was all too surreal and she was going to wake up at her cottage and find that she was still pregnant and Grissom was still in Vegas.

"I called Catherine back and asked her to keep an eye on the tapes until an old friend of mine could arrive to relieve her tonight. James Fuller is an entomologist that owed me a favor and happened to be coming to town this weekend. He agreed to come a few days early and take over the timeline for me." Grissom glimpsed Warricks amused expression and raised his eyebrows. "Then I called Sheriff Atwater and explained the situation to him."

"What? Wait a minute! You told him about us? The babies?" Sara clutched his upper arm until he swung his head back around to stare into her eyes.

"I called in another favor. Atwater owed me one. He was stunned but assured me that your job is still yours if you want it. Catherine would be your supervisor, but you would still be on my team." Grissom kept his attention focused on her every reaction.

"I can't believe you told him. I don't know what to say."

"Are you mad?" asked Grissom. He had cancelled his flight back to Vegas after speaking to James and then Atwater. If Sara was upset with him for spilling the beans then it would be a long drive home.

"No! No, I'm surprised that's all." Sara removed her hand from his arm and her smile faltered. "I suppose that it surprises me that you would risk your job. You are the one that wanted to keep our relationship a secret for ten months."

"I thought it was mutual." Warrick stated and earned two pairs of annoyed looks. "You are having this conversation with me in the room." Warrick said in his own defence. With a heavy sigh, he added. "I'll just go for now. I'll see you all tommorrow?" He held Thomas out to Grissom who took him into his own arms.

"That will be nice, Warrick, thank you." Sara smiled at him as he waved goodbye.

Once he left, Grissom tried to answer her accusation. "We both agreed that our relationship was private. You never indicated that you wanted anyone else to know about it, therefore, I thought that you were fine with us keeping it from everyone."

"I didn't want to suffocate you." Sara said with a thin smile. "I decided that _you_ felt that if Catherine or Brass knew about us then it would make it real. If it was real, then I thought that you would call it off."

"'The thing we run from is the thing we run to'." quoted Grissom. "Robert Anthony." He added before she could ask.

"Explain, please." said Sara as she touched his arm again.

Grissom gently placed Thomas back onto the bed next to Andrew and then scooted away from her and walked to the end of the bed. He stared at his feet and then towards the side of the room. "You've always scared me, Sara. My feelings for you have been stronger than any woman I've ever known. I've lost myself in you." Grissom let his eyes drift back to her face. "You have the ability to break me, but I kept coming back. When we became lovers I still needed to keep part of myself, and that part was work. At work I could keep everything the way it was as long as everyone else did not know about us."

He gripped the end of the bed and his eyes shifted to the babies. "I ran from you for years, but you always had me." He had a baffled expression as he stared at his sons. "I don't think that I'm making sense, Sara, but I just want you to know that I'm sorry for everything. I apologize for not calling in that favor with Atwater months ago. I apologize for not sharing my happiness with our friends. But, mostly, I'm sorry that I gave you a reason to run from me and hide your pregnancy from me."

"Gris. Come here, please." Sara held out her hands for him as his eyes moved from the babies, to her gesture, to her face. "I love you, Gil Grissom. You are the only man I would ever want to have children with and I hope that we can both start over today." It felt odd uttering his name aloud. She had never called him Gil or Gilbert in the height of their relationship due to the fact that she feared in becoming comfortable with saying Gil, or any other endearment for that matter, she would slip up on a case like she did with Hank that one time.

His feet were frozen in place. He knew they were frozen because he could not move. It was crazy, but neither of them had uttered those words before today. He knew in his heart what he felt to be the truth, but words had seemed banal. Until now. He watched her expression change from happiness to a sad uncertainity and his heart broke. With this new emotion, he felt his legs unlock and he walked quickly around the bed where he reached out to cup her face in both hands.

Bending down, his lips touched hers with a feather touch and he whispered softly against them. "I love you, Sara. I adore you. I need you." The torrent of emotions rippled from his lips and only ceased when Sara pulled him into her lips for a much deeper kiss.

The End


	21. Chapter 21

Title: Wash Away part twenty

Epilogue

October, 2007

Vegas

Thomas Grissom smeared birthday cake all over his brothers face and laughed as Andrew gave him an inscrutable look in return. All of the adults present at the one year olds birthday party laughed along with the antics of the babies.

Greg dashed around the table with a video camera, encouraging Andrew to retaliate back with his own birthday cake, earning the arched eyebrow to be turned in his direction. Nick was preoccupied as he snapped pictures of the boys and of the adults standing around observing them.

Bringing another cake from the kitchen, Sara placed it on the table away from the twins reach and turned to Grissom looking for a match. She had bought two tiny cakes for each of the babies and the one large one for their guests. Taking in the sight in front of her she was glad that she had taken Catherines advice. Thomas had icing all over his face and in his thin brown hair. He was leaning towards Andrew and trying to feed him a chunk of the cake that was wadded in his chubby hand, but Andrew batted his hand away with a scowl. Catching Catherine's eye, Sara exchanged a knowing smile with her. They had fromed some new indescribable bond since Sara had returned to Vegas as a mom. Sara did not question it overmuch, she just accepted it for what it was.

Lighting the single candle, Grissom stepped back to stand behind Sara as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Folding her hands over his, she thought of the past year and the roller coaster ride that she and Grissom had been on.

They had left the hospital with the babies and returned to her small cottage where they decided to stay for two weeks until they could make the long drive to Vegas.That first night in her cottage Grissom had wrapped his arms around her and they had slept without nightmares for the first time in months. Only the cry of the babies had interrupted their slumber, but that had been a sweet welcome.

Grissom had asked her to move in with him when they returned to Vegas and she had happily accepted. She knew that the townhome would be plenty big enough for two tiny infants, although she worried that it would be too small for two toddlers.

The ride back to Vegas had been one of the most constructive of their relationship. They had worked through some of the roadblocks that had hindered them in the past, and Sara had learned something else about Grissom that she had always suspected but was not sure about. Grissom was a traditionalist at heart. He wanted the mother of his babies to have his name. He wanted them to be a family in the truest sense. Sara had never expected a romantic proposition from Grissom. Romance had been something she had teased him about when they were together. It was not something he did not know how to do, because when he wanted to be charming there was nobody better than Grissom.

She thought of the case where he had made the offhand comment about two people not sleeping in the same bed and maybe one of them was suffocating the other one. She had retailiated with a comment about romance. He had taken the hint and been romantic for weeks afterwards when they were away from work. It was simply not something she expected from him on a daily basis.

Bringing her head back now, she smiled up into his twinkling eyes. The past twelve months had been some of the most wonderful of her life. She had returned to work when the twins were three months old, finding that she had a never ending offer of babysitters from coworkers at CSI. Grissom had told her how David had shyly approached him at work after he had returned and told him that his wife had offered to keep the babies for them when Sara returned from her leave of absence.

There had been some rough paths to cover, including soothing the hurt feelings of Nick, Greg, Catherine, and Brass. They had all been angry and full of questions, but one look at the boys and their anger had melted. It still took several weeks for Sara to convince Nick and Greg that she trusted them and leaving them alone with the twins when they were four months old was one of the wall breakers. Both Sara and Grissom were furiously protective of their sons and despite the offers to babysit only left them with very few individuals.

Now they stood in the dining room of their new home, surrounded by friends like Brass, Catherine, Warrick, Nick, Greg, Lynsey, Doc Robbins, David and his family.

Now the sound of 'Happy Birthday' rang out around the room. Thomas giggled and clapped while Andrew's face scrunched up in fright. Sara was quick to pick Andrew up as he clung to her and burried his head in her shoulder. Night and Day, Grissom called them. He rubbed Andrews back and whispered comforting words in his ear as the party guests dug into the cake.

Grissom smiled at his family and friends. This was what it was all about.

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Note: I do hope that I did not disappoint too many people. Thank you again for the reviews. I can't say that enough. I also apologize for any unanswered questions, perhaps I will do a sequel down the road. Anythings possible.


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